Duck confit for six - straightforward and properly crispy. I've dry-brine the duck legs with citrus and spices, confit them in duck fat, then crisped up the skin in a pan. The duck is served on butter beans with smoked bacon and tomatoes in reduced chicken stock, with a lemony lettuce on the side.
Category
Dinner
Servings
6
Prep time
2 hours 30 minutes
Cook time
3 hours 45 minutes
Duck confit for six - straightforward and properly crispy. I've dry-brine the duck legs with citrus and spices, confit them in duck fat, then crisped up the skin in a pan. The duck is served on butter beans with smoked bacon and tomatoes in reduced chicken stock, with a lemony lettuce on the side.
Ingredients
- 6 duck legs
-
sea salt flakes
- rind of 1 lemon
- rind of 1 orange
- 4 sprigs thyme
- ½ tbsp coriander seeds
- ½ tbsp black peppercorns
- 3 star anise
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 800ml (27 fl oz) duck fat
- 1 L chicken stock
-
1 tbsp olive oil
-
250g speck, diced into 2cm lardons
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled, finely diced
- 3 shallots, finely diced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 400g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 x 400g cans butter beans, rinsed and drained
-
sea salt flakes and black pepper
- small bunch of parsley, chiffonade
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves washed and separated
- juice of 1 lemon
-
2 tbsp olive oil
Confit Duck
Butter beans with smoked bacon
Salad
Directions
Prep the Duck
Place the duck on a wire rack over a tray and sprinkle generously with salt. Set aside for 2 hours at room temperature to dry brine.
- Preheat the oven to 120°C fan forced (250°F). Melt the duck fat in a medium saucepan to around 100°C. Brush the salt off the duck then transfer to a large baking dish.
- Top duck with lemon and orange rind, 1 of the thyme sprigs, coriander seeds, peppercorns, star anise and bay leaves.
Carefully pour the hot duck fat over the duck legs and cover with a piece of baking paper like a cartouche. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3-3 ½ hours. Checking after 3 hours for tenderness.
Cook the accompaniment
Place the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced by two thirds.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and cook the lardons for 8-10 minutes, until browned and crisp. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add shallots, garlic and carrot to the pan and cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add thyme to pan and toss to combine. Cook for a further 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl.
Crisp the duck skin
Remove duck from the oven and transfer to a large frying pan, skin side down. Reserve duck fat for another use.
- Place the pan over medium heat and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden.
Finish and serve
Combine remaining oil and lemon juice in a small jar or jug and mix until emulsified. Toss with the lettuce and transfer to a large serving bowl.
- Transfer the reduced chicken stock to a large pan along with the tomatoes, butter beans, shallot-carrot mix (but discard the thyme), and the lardons. Stir over medium high heat until the mixture has heated through, taking care not to allow it to dry out. Add some chopped parsley and stir through.
- Divide bean mixture between serving plates, then top with a duck leg. Serve with butter lettuce salad on the side.
Recipe notes
Origins
Duck confit is an age-old French dish of slow cooked duck in its own fat to tender perfection then finished to crispy skin indulgence. But the classic technique can take 30 hours to achieve…..we have taken a simpler approach, but still achieving WOW results.
Cook support
Cooking the duck from cold in the final stages to crisp the skin will take longer than room temperature duck.
Cartouche 101
A cartouche is a round (or rectangle in this recipe) of baking paper that sits on the surface to limit evaporation and keep the duck submerged.
Sourcing
Your local butcher can source duck legs for you or you can often find them frozen in Asian Grocers.
Substitutions
Whole pieces of speck are available at good delis, or you can find packaged diced speck in major supermarkets, or use pancetta or streaky bacon instead.
Storage
Don’t discard the duck fat after cooking as it is liquid gold! Pass it through a sieve and store in the fridge for several months.
Serving ideas
Duck confit can be served with any sides you fancy, such as roast potatoes and salad, sauteed greens, cassoulet, mashed potato…whatever takes your fancy!
