Duck Fat Potato Galette with Biltong Salt

This Duck Fat Potato Galette with Biltong Salt is one of those completely indulgent and delicious dishes that you should make and eat only once a year purely for the sake of your heart. But it is the end of another year where the world is not exactly the nicest or most sane place, so a bit of festive season fat and carbs can’t be all that bad.

The Potato Galette will be a fantastic addition to your festive table and will fit in with the most formal Christmas dinner or at the most informal barbecue table next to the pool. (And come January we can make up with loads of quinoa and steamed green leaves!)

The idea for the recipe came from a recipe for Thyme Brown Butter Potato Cake by Michelle Theron who is the chef at Pierneef a La Motte in Franschhoek. Michelle’s recipe had brown butter, honey and balsamic vinegar as ingredients but I wanted to go full on savoury with the meaty flavours of duck fat and biltong. I guess it is an elegant version of meat and potatoes. And has there ever been a more delicious combination than potatoes and duck fat?

Biltong is a cured dried meat that has to be a strong contender for South Africa’s national dish. Strips of beef, game or ostrich is marinated in spices and vinegar and then air dried. I used biltong ground to a powder and mixed it with salt to add seasoning and flavour. The biltong salt adds a delicious crust on top as well.

The potato galette is melt in the mouth with rich meaty flavour coming from the duck fat and biltong. I made it in a cast iron pan and kept it in the pan for serving. You want the top to get crispy so pop it under the grill for a few minutes at the end if needed. It is also best to use a mandolin to ensure thin, even slices of potato. Enjoy!

Duck Fat Potato Galette with Biltong Salt

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Ingredients

  

• 8 large potatoes peeled
• 100 ml duck fat melted and divided into three parts
• 30 g biltong powder and extra for serving
• 12.5 ml sea salt flakes
• 15 ml fresh thyme leaves picked
• 2.5 ml freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 190 °C
• Mix the biltong powder, salt , thyme and black pepper and set aside
• Slice the potatoes on a mandolin if you have one to ensure thin, even slices
• Pour 3 tablespoons of duck fat into a cast iron skillet and place over a medium high heat
• Start layering your potatoes in circles into the skillet until you have a few layers placed down Season with the biltong salt
• Layer more potato slices, season with the biltong salt and drizzle with duck fat
• Repeat once more and drizzle the potatoes with the remaining duck fat and sprinkle with the last bit of the biltong salt
• Press down firmly with a plate, place the skillet on a baking tray to catch any dripping fat and bake for 30 minutes
• Carefully remove from oven, tilt the pan to spoon out some of the fat and drizzle the top with it
• Return to the oven and bake a further 25 minutes until golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through
• Once removed from the oven gently tilt the pan to drain off any excess fat (without letting the potatoes fall out!)
• Let the galette cool for about 10 minutes and serve with more biltong powder

These Polenta Parmesan Roast Potatoes will also be a winner at your festive table

You can find some more festive inspiration at this link.

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