A tray of dinner rolls with one removed and a dish of butter and brush on the side.
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Original recipe by David Leite

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About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. I’m the author of The New Portuguese Table and Notes on a Banana. For more than 25 years, I’ve been developing and testing recipes for my site, my books, and publications. My work has also appeared in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and more. I’m also a cooking teacher, memoirist, and inveterate cat lady.

Read More About Me

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4 Comments

  1. We are having duck this year. Due to the fact there will only be two of us, I’m doing the legs sous vide confit and will have the breasts available to do pan seared but have not decided yet (got a whole duck). Can you recommend some possible sides that go with duck? Thank you.

    Reply

    1. low and slow, the duck sounds like a lovely entree for a more intimate Thanksgiving dinner. Pretty much anything goes when it comes to Thanksgiving, but I’d suggest sticking with foods you enjoy and ones that don’t all need to be made at the last minute. If you prefer traditional sides, any of our mashed potato or stuffing recipes would be lovely alongside the duck, and the pan-fried green beans in the above recipes are an easy side that would be welcome on any plate, and provide a nice pop of color as well. This beet salad would also be nice alongside duck, and the acidity might help to balance out the richness of the meat. It can also be prepared mostly ahead of time. We have a few new recipes posting on the site this coming week that would also be good choices. Do let us know what you end up making and how your meal turns out.

      Reply

      1. Thanks the wild mushroom dressing sounds good and will look forward to next week`s recipes.Do you think this recipe will work if it was halved? (Again just two of us)

        Reply

        1. I think you’ll be able to halve it successfully, low and slow. Just keep an eye on it in the oven; you may find your cook time is shorter than the recipe suggests.

          Reply