Today may well be Thanksgiving, but it’s been a very long time since I celebrated this most American of holidays in any traditional way.
For the past five years, I’ve spent Thanksgiving with my aunt in a central or eastern European location of our choosing. We’ve been to Prague, to Budapest, to Krakow, to Berlin. This year, for a variety of reasons, we couldn’t make the trip, but for some reason, I still couldn’t get myself too psyched up about the holiday.
It’s not because I don’t like Thanksgiving. I actually love it, and I used to throw huge expat blowouts every year, albeit on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. I guess it’s partially due to the fact that I don’t feel the need to make a huge feast just for me and the Country Boy, and partially due to the fact that LITTLE SISTER IS COMING TO PARIS ON SATURDAY (and probably feels no need to eat a giant roast turkey again).
That said, I will claim one part of this tradition: counting my blessings and listing the things I’m thankful for.
1. My friends. Specifically, my female friends, if only because for such a long time, I believed that it was impossible for me to be close friends with women. There are so many people who have proven that wrong time and time again, and especially in the past two years. I am truly grateful.
2. The American Library in Paris, without which I would be reading the same *mumbles* dozen books again and again and again.
3. The Country Boy, who has recently agreed to subject himself to my favorite show of all time, Gilmore Girls.
4. My writing buddies. They know who they are; they keep me sane. They create memes about my book and keep me from crying over it (too often).
5. My family, who I won’t be seeing this Thanksgiving, but will soon be besting at Scrabble over Christmas.
In lieu of turkey this year, I propose an alternative poultry: duck. This duck breast came straight from my Food Assembly. It’s rich and juicy – perfectly paired with some roasted fall mirabelles.
Duck with Mirabelles (serves 2)
1 duck breast
1 cup mirabelles, halved
5 ounces potatoes, cubed
5 ounces green beans, snapped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
Season the duck with salt and pepper on the meat side. Score the fat side and place it, fat-side down, in a cold pan. Heat over medium heat to allow the fat to render. Continue cooking about 30 minutes, or until the majority of the fat has rendered.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the duck has rendered a few tablespoonfuls of fat, toss a tablespoonful with the potatoes, and season with salt. Arrange on a baking sheet in an even layer and roast for 20 minutes, until crisp.
Toss the mirabelles with a tablespoonful of fat and a pinch of salt, arrange on a baking sheet in an even layer and roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender and caramelized.
When the fat has rendered, increase the heat under the duck to high, and sear the fat side until nicely caramelized. Flip the duck and cook on the meat side for 4-5 minutes, until nicely seared.
Remove the duck from the pan and allow to rest on a cutting board. Drain off any excess fat (save this for later!) and add the green beans to the pan. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until just bright green, then season with salt.
Season the potatoes with garlic.
Slice the duck into thin slices and serve with a spoonful of the roasted mirabelles on top.