Recipe of the Day

Easy Duck Confit

Duck confit (con-fee) is one of the most luxurious of foods in French cuisine. This means seasoned and cured duck legs bathed in their own fat and slowly cooked to falling-off-the-bone perfection. This is followed by crisping the skin in a pan or oven – resulting in a sinful combination of juicy meat and crackling skin.

Authentic confit takes several days to make but this recipe is a mash-up, work-around, hack of the NYT’s Melissa Clark recipe that you can cook in an afternoon. It is really good and super easy.

Get yourself duck legs. They’re not easy to find unless attached to the entire duck but Bunzel’s in Milwaukee has them in pairs from the freezer case. A specialty grocer may be the place to source them fresh or frozen.

 

 

Prep time: 20 minutes

Rest the fridge: 1 to 4 days

Cook time: 3 hours

Ingredients 

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf, crumbled

4 duck leg quarters (about 4 pounds total), rinsed and patted dry but not trimmed

Duck fat-fried or smashed garden potatoes, noodles, spaetzle and lightly-dressed bitter salad greens such as arugula, chicory and/or radicchio, for serving 

Preparation 

Pat the duck legs dry with paper towels. Using a needle or a very sharp knife and prick the skin all over. Focus on the skin that covers fat. Do your best to avoid piercing the meat itself by pricking the skin at an angle over the drumstick and the center of the thigh. You are doing this to give the fat that lies under the skin a place to seep out – if you don’t do this, it will be far more difficult to get crispy skin.

In a pestle combine salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf pieces. Sprinkle duck generously with mixture. Do not skimp on the coarse salt. Place duck legs in a pan in one layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours. Your legs can fester for up to four days.

The next day, heat oven to 275 degrees. Place duck legs, skin side down, in a large ovenproof skillet, with legs fitting snugly in a single layer (you may have to use two skillets or cook them in batches). Roast uncovered until fat starts to render – about one hour.

If you are making duck fat-fried taters this is a good time to ladle rendered fat into your fry pan.

Reduce heat to 250 F, flip duck legs (skin side up), cover pan with foil or a lid and place it in oven and continue to roast for an additional hour.

After one hour shut the oven off and use this interval prep your salad and other sides. The legs will hold just fine for up to an our if they are covered and undisturbed.

After the sides have been prepped raise the oven to 375 F and remove the foil/ lids. Bake an additional 30 minutes – checking periodically to make sure the skin is browning nicely.

Immediately prior to plating your meal open the wine allowing time for it to breathe. If needed, finish your legs under a low broiler setting for 5 – 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Use the fat for cooking vegetables or frying eggs or potatoes. Strain the fat through cheesecloth if you intend to keep it in your fridge for an extended period. Tightly-covered it should keep for up to six months.