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Prep time
30 minutes
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Cook time
6 hours
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Serves
6
Author Notes
This recipe is involved but not as difficult as you might expect. It's perfect for a weekend project or holiday celebration. It's also rich, tender, salty, and delicious. This technique uses no additional duck fat, relying only on the fat that renders out of the legs while cooking. Making crispy roast potatoes in that leftover fat is a must. —Noah Tanen
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Ingredients
- Duck Confit
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2 tablespoons
kosher salt
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1 tablespoon
orange zest
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4
cloves garlic, grated
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1 tablespoon
juniper berries
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1/2 tablespoon
black peppercorns
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10 sprigs
thyme
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4 sprigs
rosemary
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2 tablespoons
water
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1 tablespoon
oil
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chives for garnish
- Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes
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4
medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
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1/4 cup
reserved duck fat
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salt and pepper to taste
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1 tablespoon
chives, chopped
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1 tablespoon
rosemary, chopped
Directions
- Duck Confit
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To make a cure for the duck legs, add the salt, orange zest, and grated garlic to a small bowl. With a mortar and pestle, or with the bottom of a heavy pan, coarsely crush the juniper berries and black peppercorns. Add to the cure and mix to combine.
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Add the salt cure to the duck legs with the thyme and rosemary sprigs and toss through to combine, rubbing the cure into the duck legs. Transfer to a lidded container, and set in the fridge to marinate for up to 24 hours.
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The next day, rinse the cure off the duck legs under cool water. Add the clean duck legs to a wide cast iron or lidded pan, big enough for all six duck legs to fit snugly.
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Add the water and oil to the pan, these will help the duck legs render their own fat to slowly confit in. Cover the legs, and place into a preheated 250°F oven for 4-5 hours, flipping them every 2 hours. When they are very tender and the meat is pulling away from the drumstick bone, they are done. Let cool completely.
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Keep the duck completely submerged in fat in the fridge for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, take out as many legs as you’d like and add to a preheated pan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and crispy, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes until heated through. Garnish with chives and serve with crispy duck fat potatoes.
- Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes
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Fill a medium lidded pot with water, and season with a handful of salt. Add the potatoes and set over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain off the water and add back to the pot.
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Put a lid on the pot and shake to rough up the exterior of the potatoes. Remove the lid and let stand to steam out any excess water.
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Preheat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the reserved duck fat followed by the dry, boiled potatoes. Place into a preheated 400°F oven, pulling out every 10 minutes to flip and turn the potatoes, browning all sides evenly. After 30-40 minutes, the potatoes should be golden brown and crispy all over. Add to a large bowl with the cut chives, rosemary, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
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