Vegetable oil has a nasty knack for making an expensive backpack worthless in seconds if you don't screw the cap on properly. Thankfully, there is an alternative. Sure it will probably destroy your gear just as easily, but if it's going to happen it might as well smell like Christmas dinner.
Oh yeah, hear that sizzle—frying potatoes in duck fat collected from a prior roast.
You don't need much to make an impressive batch of hash when you've got this secret ingredient. A tablespoon of fat will usually suffice for a large pan of potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, then cook slowly over a fire until cooked through (this can take as long as 30-minutes if the potatoes aren't pre-cooked). Cover your pan with a metal plate to cook evenly, then remove the lid and crisp the potatoes to your liking. Add two cloves of finely sliced garlic just before removing from heat.
Duck fat will solidify in colder temperatures, but it melts quickly when warm. Keep it in a sealed container and you can crisp up any food you would normally fry with an added aroma that will make you feel right at home.
How to acquire this godly grease
Getting the fat is easy! First, you shoot the duck. Then you roast it. After it's done cooking, remove the bird and place the skin trimmings back in the roaster with 3/4 cup of water. Let it simmer for 1-2 hours, or until the skin is crisped and the water evaporated. Remove the skin and pour the drippings from the bottom of your roaster through a strainer and into a glass container. Keep refrigerated and use it at home, or save it for your next trip.
Or ignore this entire article, which was just an excuse to post a picture of potatoes I thought was pretty good.