Crispy Duck Fritters
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These duck fritters are pan-fried little potato cakes with shredded duck confit, tender red onion and orange zest. The centers are soft enough to cut with your fork and they have crisp edges and a fragrant hint of orange.
The mash holds the fritters together, and the grated potato browns where it touches the skillet. If you like the combination of duck and orange in duck à l’orange, here it is in a golden potato fritter.
Duck Fritters at a Glance
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 15 minutes
- Total: 30 minutes plus cooling and chilling
- Serves: 6 as an appetizer
- Main ingredients: Duck confit, potatoes, red onion and orange zest
- Cooking method: Pan-fried in a skillet
- Storage: Refrigerate and use within 3 to 4 days.
Why You’ll Love It
- Crisp edges: The strands of grated potato brown in the skillet and form a golden crust. I love anything with a crispy golden crust!
- Duck and orange together: The orange zest gives the rich duck a citrusy tang without the sweetness of a sauce.
- Make-ahead prep: The fritters can be shaped and chilled before you’re ready to fry them.
Duck Fritters Ingredients
The complete ingredients list and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Cooked duck confit: Buy fully cooked confit legs. Pull the meat from the bone, shred it and save a little of the fat for the potato mixture.
- Potatoes: I used medium Yukon Gold potatoes. Divide them into 2 roughly equal portions by weight, one to mash and one to grate.
- Red onion: Dice it finely so it becomes tender evenly in the butter.
- Orange and flat-leaf parsley: Grate the orange zest without digging into the bitter white pith and chop the parsley before mixing it in.
How to Make Duck Fritters
The full instructions with weights and measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Prepare the potatoes: Parboil half the potatoes and grate them. Boil the rest until tender, then mash them plain and let them cool.
- Mix the fritters: Cook the diced red onion in butter. Mix it with the potatoes, shredded duck, orange zest, parsley and a little duck fat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Shape and chill: Press the mixture into flat rounds and refrigerate until firm. Mine took about half an hour.
- Pan-fry: Fry in butter and olive oil until both sides are golden and crisp.
Can You Use Leftover Roast Duck?
If you have leftover roast duck, try shredding about 7 ounces (200g) of the cooked meat and using it in place of the confit. Save a little of the rendered duck fat to mix into the potatoes. The recipe is written for confit, so I’d fry one fritter first to see how well the roast duck mixture holds together. I haven’t tried this variation yet though!
Serving Ideas
Enjoy this duck fritters recipe warm as an appetizer with a spoonful of Dijon mustard or serve a few fritters with grilled asparagus or a bean salad for lunch.
Handy Equipment
- Saucepan: Boil the potatoes for the mash and parboil the potatoes for grating.
- Colander: Drain the potatoes before mashing or grating.
- Box grater: Grate the parboiled potatoes on the coarse side.
- Potato masher: Mash the boiled potatoes.
- Zester: Grate the orange zest into fine shreds.
- Chef’s knife: Dice the red onion and chop the parsley.
- Cutting board: Prep the potatoes, onion and parsley.
- Measuring spoons: Measure the chopped parsley.
- Mixing bowl: Combine the potatoes, duck and seasonings.
- Heavy skillet: Soften the red onion and pan-fry the fritters.
- Spatula: Flip the fritters and lift them out of the skillet.
- Instant-read thermometer: Check the temperature at the center of a fritter.
- Round ring mold (optional): Press the mixture into even rounds. You can also shape them by hand for a more rustic finish.
How to Store Duck Fritters
- Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. Use within 3 to 4 days of cooking the duck.
- Freeze: Freeze the cooked fritters in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Warm in a skillet until the centers reach 165°F (74°C).
Duck Fritters FAQs
The mixture may still be warm or too wet. Press the rounds firmly as you shape them, then chill until firm. If they still seem fragile, fry one first and let it brown before you flip it. Use a wide spatula to flip them.
Heat the skillet before adding the fritters and leave room between them. If the skillet is crowded, fry them in batches so the edges can brown.
Use plain, firm mashed potatoes for the mashed portion and grate the other half as directed. Keep in mind that the mash you’ve made with a lot of milk or cream will make the rounds harder to shape.
Put the cooked fritters on a wire rack in a single layer. Air can circulate underneath, and the bottoms won’t steam against a plate.
Crispy Duck Fritters
Ingredients
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 21 oz or 600g total before peeling), peeled
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 7 oz (200g) cooked duck confit leg meat, shredded
- A little reserved duck fat from the confit
- 2 oz (55g) butter
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Butter and olive oil, for frying
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Colander
- Box grater
- Potato masher
- Zester
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Heavy skillet
- Spatula
- Instant-read thermometer
- Round ring mold (optional)
Method
- Divide the peeled potatoes into 2 roughly equal portions by weight. Parboil one portion until the potatoes are just starting to become tender. Drain then grate.
- Boil the other portion until tender. Drain, mash them plain and let them cool.
- Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Add the diced onion and cook until tender.
- Mix the grated potatoes with the orange zest in a bowl. Add the mashed potatoes, shredded duck, onion, parsley and a little reserved duck fat. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Shape the mixture into rounds about 3¼ inches (8 cm) across and ⅜ inch (1 cm) thick. Shape by hand or use a ring mold about that size. Refrigerate until firm.
- Heat a little butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Flip with a spatula when the first side is browned and fry until both sides are crisp and the centers reach 165°F (74°C).
Golden Potato Fritters with Duck and Orange
Duck and orange are a familiar pairing, and they’re just as good in a potato fritter as in classic duck a l’orange! The browned edges give these little rounds the wonderful crunch you want from anything fried in a skillet.
Other Recipes to Try
- You might also enjoy this weeknight favorite: Chicken Fritters.
- Roast Duck Legs with Potatoes cooks the meat and potatoes in one pan.
- These Roasted Duck Legs with Rosemary are a good choice for a roast dinner.
- Warm Duck Breast Salad pairs sliced duck with fresh greens – so good!
- Or try my Zucchini Fritter Chaffles or these Thai Corn Fritters.
