Easy
Duck Confit Recipe
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 some 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. Crush thoroughly. 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 hour 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. My new GE Profile convection oven is perfect for this task.
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 a few 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.
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