Duck Confit

Method

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1. Rub the duck legs all over with the salt, garlic, thyme, bay and cracked pepper.

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2. Lay them skin side up in a dish, cover, and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.

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3. Rinse the legs thoroughly under cold water to remove all the salt, then pat them completely dry. Wet duck will spit in the fat.

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4. Heat the oven to 135°C / 275°F.

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5. Pack the legs snugly in a deep casserole and pour over the melted duck fat until they are fully submerged.

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6. Cook uncovered for 2½ to 3 hours. The fat should barely tremble — if it bubbles, drop the oven 10 degrees.

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7. The confit is ready when a skewer meets no resistance and the meat has pulled back from the bone.

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8. Cool the legs in the fat. At this point they keep for weeks refrigerated, sealed under a layer of it.

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9. To serve, lift a leg out, scrape off excess fat, and crisp it skin side down in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until the skin is lacquered and brittle.

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Chef’s Tips

• Rinse the cure off properly. Leave it on and the finished confit is inedibly salty.
• The fat must never boil. A bubbling confit fries the duck rather than poaching it.
• Strain and keep the fat afterwards. It will do this job several more times and makes the best roast potatoes there are.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Sautéed potatoes cooked in the same fat
• A Cahors or Madiran
• A sharp frisée salad

Storage & Reheating

Submerged in its fat, confit keeps 1 month refrigerated. Crisped, eat immediately.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.