Borrowing from Anita: duck and papaya salad

Anita Lo is the best cook in New York City, PERIOD. There, I've said it. There will be people who will argue with me, chefs who will not speak to me anymore, but I have spoken my piece. I will say so again: ANITA LO IS THE BEST COOK IN NEW YORK CITY.
Every time I eat at her restaurant (Anissa), I am FLOORED. The dishes that come out do more than amaze. The dazzle. They make Annalena, who can figure out most dishes, sit back and think "how the hell..." And she thinks it over and over again.
One time, I in fact told this to Anita. She laughed and said "oh, come by some Saturday afternoon, and I'll teach you everything I know."
I don't think so.

Anyway, while I cannot reproduce her recipes, I can riff on them. And this is one such riff.

The last time we ate at Anissa, we were served a transcendant "salad" of green papaya, duck confit, and spices. It was a tastings menu, so there wasn't a lot of it. I wanted to crawl back to the kitchen, hunt for the bowl of it, and eat more. And more. And more.
Know what? There wasn't to be. It was not on the menu. They made it for us.

I hate it when that happens. Not really, but I do. You know what I mean.

That was over a month ago and, as I've said before, when a dish stays with you for a month, it is a keeper. I will ask for it again. In the meanwhile, for those of us who don't have Anita's talent, here is my riff on it.

First, you need to make duck rilettes. I believe I have explained this before, but in case: it is very easy. You need to buy duck confit. (you could, of course MAKE it. More power to you). For a large batch, use six legs. Discard the skin (your hands will become very greasy), and just tear the meat off the legs. Don't worry about size, precision, etc, just get as much of it as you can. When you have it all, put it in a food processor and pulse a few times. Or, cut it roughly to a chop. You want the pieces to be less than bite size. Now, put them in a pan, with some olive oil, a few branches of chopped thyme, and some salt. LOW heat, please, just until things are warmed through. Taste for seasoning. It should be rather agressive. Then, off the heat, add more oil, because the meat is going to absorb it.

If you happen to be able to find a green papaya, fabulous. If not, use one of those monstrous ones. Not the small ones that you can buy at any grocery. No, go to a Latino or Asian grocery, and get the BIG one. I think they sort of look like crocodiles basking: big, oval green things that may be a bit scary. For the six confit legs, you'll need one of them. Peel it. This may take some doing. Then, cut it down the middle, length wise, to get the pretty seeds out. You won't be using these things ,but you can eat them or at least suck the purple pulp off of them. Now, cut the papaya into thick matchstick pieces. Don't worry about evenness. This is rustic cooking.

Put the papaya in a bowl, and add a small teaspoon of salt. Stir it together, and then add a few tablespoons of rice vinegar, and about half as much sesame oil (NOT the refined stuff. Use the dark brown one). Toss this together, then add the duck confit, and put this all in the fridge, covered, for a few hours, or overnight.

The next day, you will have a transcendent salad. Put it on soft lettuce leaves if you like, or put it in martini glasses, but however you serve it, show it some respect. This is not an inexpensive dish, nor is it a mild, retiring one. If you know Anita, you will understand that that is not surprising.

It is no wonder she and Annalena get along