Sometimes we just want a duck recipe that tastes incredible but doesn’t require too much time in the kitchen. (Photo By: Jack Hennessy)

With these recipes, my goal is to provide you with three simple ideas for turning the wild fowl in your freezer into an amazing meal. All told, between prep and cooking, these three recipes shouldn’t take you more than 90 minutes to make. For the second and third, yes, there is some deboning and grinding required, as these recipes call for ground waterfowl and, in the case of the meatballs, a mix of ground pork fat and waterfowl.

The whole process should take 25-30 minutes (for prep work for two recipes here) but the cooking steps following this process are much quicker (thus resulting in a 30-minute recipe between prep and cooking). If your waterfowl is already ground, then you’re already way ahead on time.

In terms of pork fat, you don’t need to use it, but it makes your meatballs taste less dry. You really don’t need more than 25 percent pork fat for delicious waterfowl meatballs. And if you don’t want to make meatballs, you don’t have to. Just ignore the step about making balls and just cook ground meat (for loose-meat spaghetti).

The seared duck breast recipe is incredibly easy and requires very minimal prep and cooking. It’ll still wow everyone around the table. Ideally, you plucked your breasts because waterfowl skin is the bacon of wild birds, but you can use skinless breasts nevertheless.

For the grind mix, I used everything from Canada goose breasts to tenderloins from both geese and mallards to legs for both mallards and geese—all very good mixed together.

Lastly, as a reminder, CHEW SLOWLY. My five-year-old daughter reminds her mom of this every time now when we sit down for a waterfowl dinner (after watching a buddy bite into steel shot months ago). You don’t want that dentist bill.

DON'T MISS the author's "Complete Guide to Processing Waterfowl"

Your favorite burger toppings and condiments which can include:

Click for more duck and goose recipes.

Any questions or comments, please reach out on Instagram: @WildGameJack

Scott Leysath, "The Sporting Chef"

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