Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (34 page)

1 cup all-purpose flour for every 1 pound deer steaks

Salt and black pepper

Peanut oil or canola oil, for frying

Sliced green onions or scallions, for serving

1. Prepare the deer steaks by beating them one lick on each side with a meat mallet.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. In another bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. Dip the steaks in the milk mixture, then in the seasoned flour.

3. Fill the skillet halfway with oil and heat to 350°F over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

4. Drain the steaks on paper towels. Sprinkle with green onions to serve.

A Note from Phil

If the deer is a young deer, you can eat it as soon as you fry it. But if the deer is old, fry it and then layer it in a Dutch oven with a layer of onions and a layer of mushrooms. Cover the pan and bake in the oven at 350°F for an hour.

Fabulous Frog Legs

Makes 2 to 3 servings • Large cast-iron skillet • Dutch oven

6 large or 8 medium frog legs

3 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

³
/
₄
cup beer (
¹
/
₂
bottle or can)

3 or 4 dashes of hot sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons spicy mustard

Salt and black pepper

2 cups all-purpose flour

¹
/
₂
stick (4 tablespoons) butter

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 green onions or scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

8 to 12 whole garlic cloves, peeled

Duck Commander Cajun Seasoning (mild or zesty) or other Cajun seasoning

1. Heat the oven to 300°F.

2. In a large bowl, cover frog legs with buttermilk. Marinate 1 hour, then drain. Return the frog legs to the bowl.

3. Mix together the eggs, beer, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, spicy mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, and pour the mixture over the frog legs. Make sure they are coated completely.

4. One at a time, take out the legs and roll each leg in the flour.

5. In a large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter in 4 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Cook the frog legs, turning once, until golden brown on both sides (2 to 3 minutes per side). Remove from the skillet and drain lightly.

6. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the bottom of the Dutch oven, then add the frog legs. Cover them with the green onions, parsley, and garlic and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning to taste.

7. Cover with a lid and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the frog legs are tender.

A Note from Miss Kay

Eating frog legs might sound pretty redneck to most of you readers, but truly, they are delicious. Don’t think about the little frog hopping by your back door. The frogs my boys catch have legs as big as chicken legs. And do they taste like chicken? Well, to me, they taste like frog legs.

Squirrel with Soup Gravy

Makes 8 servings • Dutch oven

Peanut oil, for frying

4 squirrels, cleaned and cut into pieces

Salt and black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth

2 cans (10.75 ounces each) French onion soup

2 cans (10.75 ounces each) cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water

Just Right White Rice
, for serving

1. Heat the oven to 300°F.

2. Fill a Dutch oven a quarter of the way up with oil; heat to medium. Season the squirrels with salt and pepper and coat with
¹
/
₂
cup of the flour. Fry the squirrel pieces until golden brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.

3. Pour out most of the oil from frying the squirrels, leaving
¹
/
₂
inch in the pot. Add the remaining
¹
/
₂
cup flour and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the roux turns a rich golden brown, about 12 minutes.

4. Pour in the chicken broth and simmer until it reaches a gravy consistency. Stir in the onion soup, mushroom soup, and water. Return the squirrels to the pot, bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Bake until the squirrels are tender, about 2 hours.

5. Serve over rice.

A Note from Miss Kay

If you have never thought you’d like squirrel, you might surprise yourself after eating this delicious meal. It’s one of Phil’s best. In Louisiana it’s not unusual for people to eat squirrel. Korie grew up in one of those “yuppie” neighborhoods, as Phil would say, and her papaw cooked squirrel for breakfast. I guess she was in training for our family. Plus, the soup gravy is delicious!

Duck & Dressing

Makes about 15 servings • Large (7- to 8-quart) cooking pot with a lid • Large cast-iron skillet • Roasting pan

Duck

8 teal or 3 mallards or 1 large chicken

3 bay leaves

4 garlic cloves

Salt and black pepper

Dressing

1 stick (
¹
/
₄
pound) butter

2 medium onions, diced

2 bell peppers, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

2 pans
Cornbread
(or use any recipe you like to get 16 cups), crumbled

1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

10 slices white bread, toasted in the oven and crumbled

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk (we use Pet)

4 large eggs, beaten

1 heaping teaspoon rubbing sage

1. Make the duck: In the large pot, combine the ducks, bay leaves, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Add water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the ducks are tender. Set aside the ducks, covered with foil. Save the broth.

2. Heat the oven to 325°F.

3. Make the dressing: In the large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.

4. In the roasting pan, using your hands, combine the cornbread, saltines, Ritz crackers, and white bread. Add the vegetables and mix well. Add duck broth slowly until the dressing is pourable but still thick. Add the evaporated milk, eggs, and sage; mix well with a large kitchen spoon.

5. Place the ducks on the dressing, breast side up. Push the ducks down into the dressing, but leave the breast showing. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

A Note from Miss Kay

We wouldn’t be the Duck Commander family without lots of duck recipes. If you have duck hunters in your family, you will love this recipe. Of course, it’s similar to turkey and dressing, but we get to use all those ducks my guys bring in.