Rendered Duck Fat and Fritons

If you think we have finally gone too far by asking you to render your own duck fat—maybe this is just the thin edge of the wedge and next we'll have you gavaging geese—trust me on this one: There's a secondary gain here. The process lets you make fritons (also called grattons), those irresistible crisp nuggets of duck-skin cracklings, to be salted and nibbled or sprinkled in salads. To render 4 cups of duck fat, preheat oven to 350°. Cut skin and fat of 1 duck into 1/2'' by 4'' strips and place in a baking pan. Bake for approximately 3 1/2 hours, until skin is golden. Drain on paper towels and strain fat through cheesecloth. Fat can be stored frozen for up to 6 months.