Chicken Neck Meat, Morel Mushrooms, and White Cheddar Cheese Omelet, with Duck Fat Roasted Mixed Potatoes

Another title for this post could be “How to get the most out of your ingredients!”  With a little creativity you can use very humble, almost throw away parts, in very delicious, and thrifty ways.  (Ooops!  I have morels in this omelet, maybe not so thrifty!)

Chicken necks are most often added to chicken bones to make stock but there is enough meat on them that if you get enough of them (five come in a pack from Grove Ladder Farm) you will have enough meat to use in salads, canapes, or like in this recipe, omelets.

I cooked the necks in chicken stock for about 30 minutes, removed them from the stock and once they were cool enough to handle, removed the meat.  By cooking them in stock I also fortified the stock with even more chicken flavor.  After cooking the necks I strained the stock into containers, cooled it down and then put the fortified stock in the fridge to use for other dishes.



Most supermarkets or groceries that sell packs of chicken necks, sell them skinless, however, some small, family-run poultry farms, like Grove Ladder Farm in Sarasota, Florida, sell them with the skin.

Take the skin off, place them in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat to let them render their fat and become crispy…chicken skin cracklings!  Cut or break them apart and garnish salads, soups, or add them to sandwiches for a little crunch.


INGREDIENTS

Chicken neck, morel mushroom, and white cheddar omelet:

Cooked/pulled chicken neck meat:5 – 6 chicken necks
1 qt chicken stock

6 farm fresh eggs (these are also from Grove Ladder Farm)2 eggs per omelet (but this is personal choice)

3 fresh morel mushrooms sliced or chopped, then sautéedMorels are a real treat, and very expensive, that is if you aren’t a forager.  You can, or course, use other mushrooms like white button, Cremini, Portobello, or other favorites.

1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1 tbsp duck (or chicken) fatCan be replaced with butter or oil of your preference

Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped chives (garnish)
Duck fat roasted mixed potatoes

2 cups large dice potatoes of your choice (baby red, with orange, and purple sweet potatoes here)
2 – 3 tbsp duck (or chicken) fatCan be replaced with butter or oil of your preference

1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove chopped
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste



DIRECTIONS

Preparation:

Note:  The cooked/pulled chicken neck meat and the sautéed mushrooms can be made a day or two ahead.

Cooked/pulled chicken neck meat:

Add the stock to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, add the chicken necks, cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the cooked chicken necks, cool, when cool enough to handle begin pulling the meat off the neck bones, set the meat aside or place in a storage container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Note:  There will still be some meat on the bones that you may not able to remove.  You can either discard the neck bones or return them to the stock to cook for another 30 minutes, further fortifying the chicken stock.  Regardless of which you decide to do strain the stock into a storage container, cool to room temp, cover and store in the fridge for use in another dish.
Sautéed mushrooms:

Add 1 tbsp duck (or chicken fat) to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper to taste, cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft; set aside or cool then place in a storage container and then into the fridge until ready to use.
Duck fat roasted mixed potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400F, place a rack on the middle level.
Wash the potatoes, cut into large dice, place them on a baking tray; set aside.Whether or not you peel your potatoes will depend on personal preference; new red or gold potatoes do not need to be peeled before cooking but you may want to peel sweet potatoes if you do use them.

Wash and pat dry the sprig of rosemary, pull the leaves off and sprinkle them over the diced potatoes.
Peel and rough chop the garlic, sprinkle over the diced potatoes.
Drizzle the duck (or chicken) fat, or oil of your choice over the diced potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, mix well; set aside.
FOOD SAFETY TIP!

Make sure to wash everything used in preparing raw chicken such as kitchen tools, cutting boards, containers, surfaces, and especially your hands in hot soapy water afterward to prevent cross-contamination.
Also, I use a yellow cutting board just for poultry as an added precaution against cross-contamination.
Cooking:

Roasting the potatoes

Place the baking tray on the middle rack in the preheated oven, cook for 15 minutes, stir, cook for another 15 minutes, or until just tender, carefully remove the tray from the oven, spoon the roasted potatoes into a serving bowl, cover, keep warm.
Making the omelet

Place a medium, non-stick frying pan over medium heat, wait a minute or two for the pan to heat up, add the duck fat, wait another minute, pour the egg mixture into the pan, cook until opaque (about two minutes)
For a French-style, tri-fold omelet (see photo below)Spread a tablespoon of the sauteed mushrooms in the center of the cooking omelet, add a tablespoon of the cooked/pulled chicken neck meat, add a tablespoon (or two) of the grated white cheddar cheese.
Carefully fold over one side (a third of the diameter of the omelet), then fold the (folded) center over the remaining, unfolded portion of the omelet.

For an American-style, bi-fold omeletSpread a tablespoon of the sauteed mushrooms in the middle of the cooking omelet but an inch or two off-center, add a tablespoon of the cooked/pulled chicken neck meat, add a tablespoon (or two) of the grated white cheddar cheese.
Carefully fold over one-half of the omelet over the other half.

Your chicken neck meat, morel mushroom, and white cheddar cheese omelet is done and ready to plate.
Serve with the duck fat roasted mixed potatoes and garnish with chopped chives.

ENJOY!

Chicken Neck Meat, Morel Mushrooms, and White Cheddar Cheese Omelet, with Duck Fat Roasted Mixed Potatoes