Smoked Ancho Chile and Duck Confit Tostadas with Nopales Salad

Instructions

1. 1

   Remove seeds and veins from dried ancho chiles. Toast them lightly in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Soak in hot water for 30 minutes.

   ~35 min
2. 2

   In a small pot, combine duck fat, peeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and black peppercorns. Heat gently to infuse flavors, about 10 minutes. Do not boil.

   ~10 min
3. 3

   Pat duck legs dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Place duck legs in a deep oven-safe dish. Pour the infused duck fat over the duck legs, ensuring they are mostly submerged.

   ~5 min
4. 4

   Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and cook in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the duck is very tender and falling off the bone.

   ~180 min
5. 5

   While the duck is confiting, prepare the nopales salad. Carefully scrape off the spines from the nopales using a knife. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Blanch the nopales in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water to remove slime. Finely dice the red onion and jalapeno. Chop cilantro. In a medium bowl, combine blanched nopales, diced red onion, diced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

   ~30 min
6. 6

   Once the duck is cooked, carefully remove the duck legs from the fat. Reserve the duck fat. Shred the duck meat using two forks, discarding bones and skin. You can lightly crisp the shredded duck in a hot skillet if desired.

   ~15 min
7. 7

   Brush corn tortillas lightly with reserved duck fat and crisp them in a hot skillet until golden brown and slightly firm. Alternatively, bake them in the oven until crispy.

   ~10 min
8. 8

   Assemble the tostadas: Spread a generous amount of shredded duck confit onto each crispy tortilla. Top with a heaping portion of the nopales salad. Garnish with crumbled cotija cheese and sliced avocado.

   ~5 min