horizontal.jpg)
epicurious
Seco de Pato
Take your time to cook down the flavor base, which is enriched with ají amarillo and beer, and you’ll be rewarded with a thick, homey Peruvian duck stew.
👥 2 Servings👤 Danielle Bell📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●blender
- ●baking sheet
- ●oven
- ●pot
- ●dutch oven
- ●wooden spoon
- ●bowl
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Pat duck legs dry with paper towels; season on both sides with salt. Place, skin side up, on a plate and chill, uncovered, at least ⏱️ 8 hours and up to ⏱️ 12 hours.
duck legs (about 1 lb. total)2
2
Pick ¼ cup leaves with tender stems from cilantro bunch; set aside. Coarsely chop rest of bunch and place in a blender along with ⅓ cup water; blend until smooth. Measure out ½ cup cilantro purée and set aside; discard remaining purée. Rinse out and reserve blender.
3
Place racks in middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 325°. Prick sweet potato all over with a fork and wrap in foil; place on a small rimmed baking sheet. Bake on lower rack until fork-tender, 1–1½ hours. Remove sweet potato from oven; set aside.
medium sweet potato, peeled1
4
Meanwhile, place duck legs, skin side down, in a cold, dry large Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot. Set over medium heat and cook until skin is browned and a good amount of fat has cooked out, 8–⏱️ 10 minutes. Turn duck over and cook until browned on the other side, about ⏱️ 5 minutes. Transfer duck, skin side up, to a plate, leaving fat in pot (you should have about ¼ cup; add vegetable oil if short).
duck legs (about 1 lb. total)2Vegetable oil (if needed)
5
Add onion to pot and season lightly with salt. Cook (still over medium heat), stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 10–⏱️ 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about ⏱️ 1 minute. Add ají amarillo paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until jammy, 5–⏱️ 7 minutes. Stir in pepper, cumin, and reserved cilantro purée. Cook, stirring often, until darkened, thick, and most of moisture has cooked off, 5–⏱️ 7 minutes.
6
Add pilsner, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5–⏱️ 7 minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Using tongs, place duck, skin side up, in pot.
7
Transfer pot to middle rack in oven and bake, uncovered, ⏱️ 30 minutes. Partially cover pot and continue to bake until sauce is slightly thickened, 20–⏱️ 30 minutes longer. Uncover pot and stir in potato and carrot. Cover pot; continue to bake until duck and vegetables are tender, 20–⏱️ 25 minutes more. Stir in peas.
medium carrot, peeled, sliced ½" thick1
8
Unwrap reserved sweet potato and place in blender. Add cream, butter, and a pinch of salt. Blend, adding water as needed (up to 3 Tbsp.), until you have a thick but pourable purée. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
medium sweet potato, peeled1
9
Divide duck legs and sauce between bowls. Swirl sweet potato purée into sauce; top with reserved cilantro.
duck legs (about 1 lb. total)2medium sweet potato, peeled1
Reviews & Ratings
Share your thoughts and feedback about this recipe
Write a Review
Community Feedback
0 ReviewsLoading reviews...