Thursday, November 17, 2011

Oh, the things you can do with bacon fat

I always refer to animal fat as liquid gold. And I avoid throwing it away. The sad part is there is a misconception that animal fat is worse than other fats health-wise. In fact, the opposite is true. Gram for gram, all fats are the same in calories. There are some differences in trans and saturated fats. But the food science consensus is starting to move away from processed fats and oils (especially hydrogenated vegetable oils) and more toward butter and other animal fat, because essentially, they're more naturally recognised and metabolised by the body and are loaded with vitamins and amino acids.
So for those reasons, the fat I pour off the pan when cooking wild boar bacon goes directly into a mason jar for the fridge; not the compost.

BRAD'S FRIED SKILLET CHICKEN AND POTATOES
(for 2) 6 free-range chicken legs; 4 tbsp bacon fat; 1 chorizo sausage diced; 3-4 medium white potatoes cubed; 4 cloves of garlic, peeled; 1/4 cup sour cream; 1/4 cup milk; micro greens or clovers; fresh parsley; Kosher salt; fresh pepper
In a steam pot, cook potatoes and garlic until soft
Brown the chicken on medium-high heat in 2 tbsp of bacon fat, then add sausage, transfer to a pre-heated oven at 425F for about 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear.
Remove the chicken and plate under foil to rest 5 minutes, keeping the empty pan hot.
Toss another 2 tbsp of bacon fat to the pan and toss the potatoes and garlic and quickly mash with a potato masher. Add sour cream and milk and season, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon. Plate up and top with micro-greens and parsley.

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