Duck confit
Nothing is quite as wonderful as coming home after a long day at work to find duck confit waiting in the fridge. Simply reheated and served with a big salad, it's our ultimate comfort food. Doubling or tripling this recipe adds no additional effort and results in lots of confit for the future. In addition, the duck skin will render its fat, which means you'll end up with more delicious and useful fat than you started with.
Ingredients
- 4 whole duck legs
- 4 Tbsp coarse sea salt
- 3 cups duck fat
- 8 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp thyme
- 2 Tbsp whole peppercorns
Method
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1
Rub duck with salt. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate 24 hours.
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2
The following day, preheat oven to 250°F. Wipe duck legs with a paper towel and wipe off any unabsorbed salt.
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3
Place fat in an ovenproof dish or casserole heated on medium. When fat is melted, add duck and remaining ingredients. Cover and place on the center rack of the oven. Cook until meat is tender, around 2½-3 hours.
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4
Remove dish from the oven and let rest for a few hours until it reaches room temperature. Place legs in individual plastic bags with ¼ cup of fat. Press out any air in the bags as you close them. Refrigerate if you plan on eating them within the next 15 days; otherwise, freeze them.
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5
Filter fat into a jar and refrigerate. You can also freeze the bouillon found at the bottom of the dish and add it to soups. Be careful - it is flavorful but quite salty.
