January 2007. It is not especially cold, but has been raining nonstop for two days. Even the short dash from bus to front door leaves me soaked through and in need of some sort of carbohydrate and fat. Butter and beef dripping seem suddenly more appropriate than olive oil. Even more so the little bowl of duck fat I saved from last Sunday’s roast. Perhaps it was the week before. No matter, it keeps for months. It is said that people used to rub this snow-white fat on their chest to ward off a cold. I prefer to take my duck dripping internally, and set about a simple layered potato dish with thyme and garlic. The addition of the pumpkin was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It works well, adding a sweet nuttiness to the recipe. I like it on its own too, with a sharp and vinegary green salad at its side. It is also a good side dish for meat of some sort and wonderful with cuts from yesterday’s roast, just the thing for a cold roast chicken or duck leg.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 4 as an accompaniment
Ingredients
Preparation
Peel the potatoes and pumpkin and slice them no thicker than a generous 1/8 inch (3mm). Melt the duck fat in a shallow, nonstick pan (I choose a cast-iron one, so well used it barely needs oiling), add the potato and pumpkin slices, neatly or hugger-mugger, seasoning them with salt, black pepper, thyme or rosemary leaves, and a little chopped garlic as you go. Have the heat on low and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the slices for about twenty-five to thirty minutes. As they start to soften, press them down with a spatula so they form a sort of cake that will be golden on the bottom, with slices of potato that are soft right through. I check them for tenderness by inserting a skewer right down through the center. If it goes in effortlessly, then they are done. Serve straight from the pan.
