Duck Confit

Introduction

This is the kind of leftovers you quietly plan for during the first dinner. When you make duck breast with cherry sauce, you end up with duck legs, duck fat, and duck stock that are almost asking to become confit the next day.

Duck confit is more about time than technique: salt the legs overnight, cook them slowly in fat, and let a concentrated cherry sauce do the rest on the plate. The result is tender meat, a rich sauce, and the useful feeling that the whole duck has been handled properly.

Step-by-step

Ingredients

• 2 duck legs
• 18 g fine salt (1 tbsp)
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 sprigs thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
• 600-800 g duck fat (1 lb 5 oz-1 lb 12 oz), enough to almost cover the legs

Cherry sauce:

• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 200 g cherries, frozen or thawed (7 oz)
• 250 ml red wine (1 cup)
• 300 ml duck stock (1 1/4 cups)
• 1 tsp honey, more if needed
• 20 g cold butter (0.7 oz), diced
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. The night before: Rub the duck legs with the salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before cooking, brush off the seasoning and rinse the legs briefly under cold water without splashing around the sink. Dry them very thoroughly, place them skin-side down in a small ovenproof dish, and pour over melted duck fat until the meat is almost covered.

2. Put the dish in a 180 °C (356 °F) oven, using top and bottom heat. Cook the legs for 2 hours skin-side down, turn them carefully, then cook for another 2 hours skin-side up. The legs are ready when the meat releases easily from the bone and the skin has taken on clear colour. Lift them out of the fat and rest for 10 minutes.

3. Make the sauce while the legs rest. Sweat the shallots in 1 tbsp duck fat in a small saucepan until glossy and soft. Add the cherries, red wine, and duck stock, then reduce until the sauce is concentrated, glossy, and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the honey and cold butter just before serving, then season with salt and pepper.

Serving note

• Serve with mashed potatoes, crisp potatoes, or celeriac puree. The sauce is intense enough that the side should stay calm.
• If the skin is not as crisp as you want, place the legs skin-side up under a hot grill or broiler for 3-5 minutes.
• Strain the duck fat after cooking and keep it chilled. It can be reused for potatoes, confit, or vegetables.
• Clean the sink and counter after rinsing the salted duck legs.