This is an adaptation from a recipe for kidneys in English chef Fergus Henderson’s The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. Fergus seems to have an aversion to anything seared or crispy, but this deviled dish is pretty special…and my version is seared.
Make sure to trim the top off the little hearts, where there is a white crescent of fat. You can either leave the hearts whole, half them or do both if you have an assortment: Little teal hearts should be left whole, goose hearts should be sliced.
This is truly a hunter’s meal, as I don’t know how you’d get so many hearts by buying domestic ducks. The fewest you’d want to serve is 4-5 per person, so the non-hunters among you can save them up for this dish.
Serves 2
- 12-24 duck hearts
- 4-5 tablespoons flour for dusting
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons duck fat or butter
- 2 tablespoons grated onion
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons duck or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- Crusty bread to serve
- Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until hot. Add the duck fat or butter and let it sizzle.
- Meanwhile, mix the salt, cayenne, dry mustard and flour together. Dust the hearts with it.
- Drop the hearts into the pan and saute them for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan and letting the little hearts roll around a bit.
- Drop the grated onion, Worcestershire sauce and broth into the pan and deglaze it. Swirl everything around so the hearts get coated. Let this cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove the hearts with a slotted spoon.
- Let the sauce reduce to a glaze, turn off the heat, return the hearts and swirl to coat again.
- Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the crusty bread.
