the ultimate duck & andouille gumbo recipe

Ahhh....Gumbo.  Much like chili, this dish has an almost infinite number of variations usually depending on geographic region and the ingredients available. Waterfowl, big game, smoked meats, seafood, vegetables, and list goes on. BUT in every gumbo recipe the key is in the roux and patience is paramount. Give yourself plenty of time to make gumbo, and in fact a few hours of a barely bubbling simmer at the end fully completes the flavors. In the end half of my family loves this in a large soup bowl with a scoop of cooked white rice, and the other half with no rice but a crusty chunk of sourdough bread for dipping.

…. oh, and if you have friends or family that are not too sure about eating this wonderful waterfowl we pursue, this is a great way to introduce it. 

Servings: 8-10
Prep Time: 45 Minutes (plus 6 hours braising)
Cook Time: 3-4 Hours

ingredients

Duck & Sausage

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 2 large duck breasts, skin on (or 1 whole duck)
• 1 onion, quartered
  
• 2 celery stalks, halved
  
• 1 link andouille sausage, sliced
  
• Water (enough to come halfway up the duck in the braising pan)
  

Gumbo

• Prepared duck and sausage
• 8 cups reserved duck broth (or suuplement with chicken broth)
• 1 cup reserved duck and sausage fat (add oil if needed)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
  
• 2 carrots, chopped
  
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
  
• 1 hot pepper, chopped (My family likes serrano but use your favorite flavor and heat pepper!)
  
• 1 (10oz) can Rotel diced tomoatoes
  
• Hot Sauce, to taste
  
• Cooked white rice or crusty sourdough bread, for serving
  

instructions

Braise the Duck

• Preheat oven to 250°F
• Season duck with Cajun seasoning.
• Heat canola oil in a heavy oven-safe Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat.
• Brown duck on all sides until a deep golden crust forms.
• Add quartered onion, celery, and carrots. Cook 3–5 minutes until lightly caramelized.
• Add enough water to reach halfway up the duck, scraping any browned bits from the bottom.
• Cover and braise for 6 hours, or until the duck is fork tender.
• Remove duck and allow to cool.
• Separate the cooking liquid, reserving both the stock and rendered fat. Add water or chicken broth to the stock to make 8 cups.
• Brown the sliced andouille sausage in the same pan. Remove sausage and add the rendered sausage fat to the reserved duck fat.
• Remove and discard duck skin, then chop or shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Make the Roux

Now get out your favorite Dutch oven or any heavy bottom soup pot, tell your smart speaker to play some jazz, and put on your patience pants!  It's time to gumbo......

• In a large Dutch oven, BLEND THE RESERVED CUP OF FAT WITH A CUP OF FLOUR AND COOK OVER MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL CHOCOLATE BROWN.  That is in bold caps, because it's the essence of the whole thing, and makes gumbo....well gumbo.
• Be patient!  Cooking this roux could take 40min.  Use enough heat to get the flour browning, but not too much heat or it'll burn.  AND....use the 1 cup fat to 1 cup flour ratio as a guide.  I likt the roux to end up the color of milk chocolate , and about the consistency fo creamy Stir constantly for 30-40 minutes, until the roux reaches the color of milk chocolate and about the consistency of creamy peanut butter.  Add fat or flour in small increments to get the desired consistency as you go.

Build the Gumbo

• Now add the Cajun seasoning, onion, celery, carrots, bell and hot peppers to the roux mixture and keep it moving for 5-7 more minutes while the vegetables soften slightly. The vegetables from the braising process are totally spent, so I use fresh when building the gumbo.
• Add the can of tomatoes, dash the hot sauce, pour in the reserved broth, and add the duck & sausage.
• Pour in the reserved duck broth.
• Add chopped duck and browned sausage
• Stir…stir…. Stir until the roux is fully incorporated.
• Let it simmer at a temp where you can see bubbles popping on the surface but wouldn’t call it a boil. Let it simmer here for at least 30 to 40 minutes if you’re in a hurry, but a few hours will really let the flavors bloom and naturally thicken the gumbo.

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