Duck Confit
I love duck confit. It is one of my favorite things to eat and the wonderful thing about making it yourself is that any leftovers can be warmed up and put into a salad the next day, which is equally delicious.
Duck Confit
Duck confit is a classic French preparation where duck legs are slow-cooked in their own fat for tender, flavorful meat. This recipe also shows how to preserve the confit for future meals or roast it to perfection.
Ingredients
- 8 duck legs, trimmed of any excess fat
- 6-8 tablespoons coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns, slightly crushed
- 5-6 sprigs thyme, fresh
- 4-5 bay leaves, broken into pieces
- 3 pounds duck fat, melted
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the salt, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and mix together well. Rub each duck leg with some of the salt mixture, place in a shallow dish, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours.
- After 12 hours rinse the salt from the duck legs and dry on paper towels. Lay the duck legs, skin side down, in a frying pan placed over low heat. Cook for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown, turning them over once.
- Heat the oven to 300°. Transfer the legs to a small flame-proof casserole or oven-proof dish and add enough of the melted duck fat to cover the legs completely. Cover tightly with a lid and cook in the oven until the duck has rendered all of its fat and is so tender that it is almost falling off the bone—this will take approximately 2½ hours.
- To preserve the duck, place some of the duck fat in the bottom of a preserving jar. Carefully place the legs on top and then cover the legs completely with more duck fat. Be sure there are no air bubbles. Cover and refrigerate for 1 week. The fat encasing the legs will preserve the meat.
- To serve, remove the legs from the duck fat, scraping off as much fat as you can. Place the pieces in a roasting pan and roast in a 325° oven for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 1878kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 189g | Saturated Fat: 62g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 94g | Cholesterol: 367mg | Sodium: 5422mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 4mg
