Confit duck leg

Ingredients

  • 4 large Gressingham duck legs
  • 1 kg duck fat
  • 6 tbsp coarse rock salt
  • Few sprigs of rosemary and thyme
  • 1 garlic bulb, cloves separated, skins on and flattened with knife
  • 1 tsp of whole black peppercorns
  • Zest of orange
  • 2 bay leaves

Preparations

    step 1

    You will need to start the confit process at least a day before.

    step 2

    Scatter one fifth of the salt, herbs and garlic in the base of a deep tray or dish big enough to hold the duck legs. Place the legs skin side down into the dish and sprinkle the rest of the salt, herbs and garlic over the legs and add the peppercorns, bay leaf and orange zest.

    step 3

    Cover and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

    step 4

    When you are ready to cook, remove the duck legs from the fridge, scrape off the herbs and salt, rinse under cold water and pat dry.

    step 5

    Pre heat the oven to 125°C, 105°C fan, Gas Mark ½.

    step 6

    Place a large saucepan or casserole dish onto a low heat on the hob and melt the duck fat. Place the duck legs in and bring to a gentle simmer. The fat should cover the duck legs, if not add more.

    step 7

    Cover with a lid or foil and place into the oven. Cook for 2½ to 3 hours until tender. Test if the meat is ready by piercing with a skewer, it should go through the meat easily – if not return to the oven for another 15 mins and try again.

    step 8

    When they are ready, take out of the oven and allow to cool, take the legs out of the fat while still a little warm.

    step 9

    At this stage you can put the legs into a container, pour over some of the duck fat, cover and store in the fridge for up to a month.

    step 10

    When you are ready to cook the duck legs, remove from the container, scrape off any excess fat and place into a roasting tray skin side up.

    step 11

    Pre heat your oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan, gas mark 6. Roast for approx 30 minutes until the duck is warm through and the skin is crispy. To help speed this process you can place under a grill for the last couple of minutes.

    step 12

    There are several options to serve. A traditional take would be with a rich red wine sauce, mash and braised red cabbage or puy lentils but you could quite easily shred and serve as part of a salad.