Duck Fat Fries with Duck Confit & Kimchi

Crispy and flavorful homemade French fries are cooked in duck fat and topped with shredded, tender duck confit, seasoned rice vinegar, mayonnaise, kimchi and green onions for a twist on loaded fries.

Duck Fat Fries with Duck Confit & Kimchi

The Best Way to Cook Fries

The fries are cooked using a double fry method, first at a lower temperature to cook the potatoes then again at a higher temperature to crisp the outside. Working in smaller batches takes a bit more time, but it helps to keep the temperature of the oil even – adding too many fries will drop the temperature of the oil considerably.

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Potatoes – In this recipe I use Russet potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes. They’re large, starchy, oblong potatoes known for being the ideal baking potato. When cooked they become soft and light on the inside while frying them in the duck fat leaves them extra crispy on the outside.
• Duck fat – I always save the duck fat when making duck confit. It comes in handy for recipes such as this. While I typically make my duck confit at home in batches and freeze it, pre-made duck confit can also be found at many butchers or online here.
• Duck confit – I serve this recipe with traditional French preparation of duck confit. Duck legs are cured in salt, then rinsed and slowly cooked at a low temperature in duck fat or other lard. The result is extremely tender meat with an outside that can be quickly reheated and crisped in a hot skillet for serving. Use my recipe here to make your own. Or look for pre-packaged duck confit legs at your butcher or high end grocery stores.
• Kewpie mayonnaise – Kewpie mayonnaise is specified in this recipe because it is a popular seasoned Asian mayonnaise. If that is unavailable then combine ¼ cup regular mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar.
• Kimchi – Kimchi has gained popularity in more recent years but for those still asking “what is kimchi?” here is an explanation. Kimchi is a staple in Korean cuisine, salted, chili spiced vegetables, traditionally Napa cabbage, are fermented. It’s funky and slightly spicy flavors compliment the rich duck fat fries and duck confit in this recipe.

How to Make Duck Fat Fries with Duck Confit and Kimchi

For the duck fat fries:

1. Cut the potatoes. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into slices ¼-inch thick, keeping the slices together. Give the sliced potato quarter turn and cut the slices into strips.
2. Rinse the potatoes. Fill a large bowl with cold water and the vinegar. Add the fries and soak for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
3. Fry the potatoes. Drain the potatoes and pat completely dry. Add the duck fat to a large heavy-bottomed pot and heat to 325ºF. Working in small batches, add some of the fries and cook until tender and pale brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with the remaining fries.
4. Raise heat and fry a second time. Once all the fries are cooked raise the heat to 375ºF. Working in batches, add the fries and cook until crispy and golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Drain the fries. Remove to a draining rack set over a baking sheet and season immediately with kosher salt as needed. Repeat with the remaining fries.

For serving:

1. Crisp the duck confit. To reheat the duck legs, first scrape off the majority of the fat. Second, cook, skin-side down in a large non-stick skillet over low heat, until the skin is crisp and the duck is heated, about 15 minutes. 
2. Shred the duck confit. Shred the meat and set aside, discarding the bones.
3. Assemble and serve the fuck fat fries. Arrange the fries on a platter and top with the shredded duck meat and kimchi. Drizzle the mayonnaise over the fries and garnish with green onion and cilantro. Serve hot.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Seasoned Garlic Crab Fries
• Confit Duck Legs
• Faux Peking Duck

Duck Fat Fries with Duck Confit & Kimchi

Print Pin

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Serves 4

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the duck fat fries:

• 4 large Russet potatoes, about 2½ pounds, scrubbed and peeled
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 24 ounces duck fat
• Kosher salt, as needed

For serving:

• 2 Confit Duck Legs
• 1/3 cup nana cabbage kimchi, chopped
• 2 tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise (or regular mayonnaise)
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions:

For the duck fat fries:

• Cut the potatoes lengthwise into slices ¼-inch thick, keeping the slices together. Give the sliced potato quarter turn and cut the slices into strips.
• Fill a large bowl with cold water and the vinegar. Add the fries and soak for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Drain the potatoes and pat completely dry. Add the duck fat to a large heavy-bottomed pot and heat to 325ºF (170ºC). Working in small batches, add some of the fries and cook until tender and pale brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and repeat with the remaining fries.
• Once all the fries are cooked raise the heat to 375ºF (190ºC) and working in batches, add the fries and cook until crispy and golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove to a draining rack set over a baking sheet and season immediately with kosher salt as needed. Repeat with the remaining fries.

For serving:

• To reheat the duck legs, scrape off the majority of the fat and cook, skin-side down in a large non-stick skillet over low heat, until the skin is crisp and the duck is heated, about 15 minutes. 
• Shred the meat and set aside, discarding the bones.
• Arrange the fries on a platter and top with the shredded duck meat and kimchi. Drizzle the mayonnaise over the fries and garnish with green onion and cilantro. Serve hot.

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