When I decided to create this burger of all things good and delicious, I was remembering how popular the parmesan truffle fries were and how I do so love white truffles, and my fist time trying lightly marked Wagyu strip steak, my fondness of pates and how a saute cook and myself accidentally broke a restaurant grade food processor trying to make our first batch. It was eventually served to patrons with our illegal charcuterie, and the duck brings back memories of the craziest stage I had ever had when told I would be making 2 dishes for all of the owners and executive chef of a prestigious company, but on arrival was told I had 1 hour to prepare 5 complete dishes in a huge kitchen that I was not familiar with in the slightest. I was amazed that I got the position as Executive Sous Chef. So, you can see how this burger brings back a world of memories for me. Everything comes together insanely well and offers a rich flavor that has your taste buds going in every different direction. All things good come in the form of this burger. (This recipe takes 3 days to prepare)
Duck Confit:
2 duck breats
1 tbs kosher salt
1 bay leaf, broken up
4 c duck fat
Wagyu Burgers:
1 lb ground Wagyu beef
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Crispy Duck Skin:
2 c duck skin
1 tbs duck fat
3 tsp kosher salt
The Fries:
1/2 lb frozen fries, or blanched fresh cut fries
white truffle oil
kosher salt
1/4 c fresh grated parmesan
2/3 c fresh parsley, minced
Everything Else:
4 bakery fresh hamburger buns, toasted
1 c Stilton blue cheese, crumbled
5 oz duck liver mousse w/ cognac
Start this journey by combining the breasts, salt and bay leaf in a deep bowl. Mix well, gently rubbing the salt into the breasts. Cover with the duck fat, making sure the breasts are completely submerged. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 48 hours.
When the breasts have rested, wipe all of the salt off of both breasts. Place them in a shallow baking dish, skin side down along with the duck fat. Place in cold oven and heat to 200 degrees. Cook for 2 hours. Remove from oven and strain off fat. Place in a heated saute pan, skin side down, and sear skin over medium high heat for roughly 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest.
Prepare the burgers by seasoning the ground Wagyu with salt and pepper. Weighing out 4 – 1/4 lb patties and form into thick burgers. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the crispy duck skin. Simply preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Dice up the duck skin to about 1/2″ x 2″ slices. Place in bowl. Toss around in the salt and duck fat. Arrange on a close grated baking rack that has been placed on a sheet pan. Make sure strips are not overlapping. Transfer sheet pan to the oven and cook for roughly 30 minutes or until the skins have become puffed and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.
It’s a good idea to get the fries ready before the burgers. Cook according to package directions. If blanched fresh cut, deepfry for roughly 6 minutes at 325 degrees. Transfer to a stainless steel bowl and toss in a small drizzle of Truffle oil as it is very strong, salt, parmesan and parsley. Set aside.
For your burgers, heat up griddle to medium high heat. You don’t need any kind of nonstick cooking agent as Wagyu is heavily marbled. Sear up each side for roughly according to your personal preference. Remove from pan and allow to rest as you assemble.
Start assembling these babies by smearing the top and bottom buns with the duck mousse. Place a Wagyu burger on bottom bun. Thinly slice each duck breast and place half of a portion on each burger. Sprinkle with crispy duck skin, parmesan truffle fries and Stilton. Finish with top bun and enjoy.
Girl-Chef Tastes 