Duck Confit

Duck confit is one of my all time favorite French foods. It is duck legs that have been cooked in their own fat at a very low temperature in the oven. This allows for fat to render out of them, and for the meat to be nearly fall off the bone. What is nice about this dish is that you can store the duck once cooked, for a very long time in the fridge, because the fat preserves it. Confit in French means “preserved.”

Even though this dish is very easy to do, it takes time. You have to cure the duck 1 to 2 days in advance and then slowly cook it, it cannot be rushed! But it is worth it.

I love duck confit on it’s own, in paella, in pasta dishes, in cassoulet, etc. It is rich, so make sure to pair it with items that can cut through the richness.

Ingredients:

• 4 duck legs
• salt
• pepper
• 3 bay leaves, crumbled
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 6 cups duck fat
• 10 parsley stems
• 1 whole lead of garlic, sliced in half

Preparation:

STEP 1.

The day prior, rub the duck legs with a generous amount of salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme. Place in a bag or container and refrigerate overnight.

STEP 2.

Preheat the oven to 250*F.

STEP 3.

Rinse the duck legs so there isn’t too much salt on them. Thoroughly pat dry!

STEP 4.

In a pot add the duck legs, bay leaves, thyme, fat, parsley stems and head of garlic. Bring up to a low simmer, put a lid on it, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2.5 hours.

STEP 5.

Remove from the oven, remove the legs and place them on foil lined sheet tray. Broil them in the oven for 5 minutes to brown. Strain and reserve the fat for future use. Serve immediately.

If you do not plan on eating immediately, store in the fridge submerged in fat. When you want to use it, remove from the fat and broil.