Duck Confit with Roasted Potatoes
By Published:
- Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
- Duck Confit Ingredients:
- 8 wild duck legs
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoons black peppercorns, cracked
- 4 bay leaves, crumbled
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 pounds lard or subsitute vegetable oil or rendered duck fat
- Sautéed Potato Ingredients:
- 4 medium potatoes
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 3 scallions, finely minced
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- To Prepare the Duck Confit: Combine the salt, black pepper, bay leaves, thyme and garlic in a Pyrex bowl. Add the duck legs and toss, heavily coating the legs with the seasonings. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, wipe away salt and seasonings from the legs. Arrange the legs in a pan or Dutch oven just large enough to hold the legs. Melt the lard in a sauce pan on low heat. Pour enough melted fat over the legs to cover completely.
- Cover the pan and cook in a 300 degree oven until the legs are very tender, approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours (or simmer on stovetop, on low heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours)
- Let the pan cool down. Remove the legs from the cooking fat and place legs in a single layer, in a terrine or bowl just large enough to accommodate the duck legs. Ladle enough of the cooking fat over the pieces to cover them completely. Cover the terrine and refrigerate for 2 days to allow the flavors to mellow.
- To Serve Duck Confit: Remove the duck legs from the fat, scrape off any excess fat. Place legs in a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees until the skin is crisp and the meat is hot, approximately 30 minutes. Serve 2 legs per plate with the sautéed potatoes.
- To Prepare the Potatoes: Wash the potatoes. Place unpeeled in a 2-quart saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing potatoes with a large meat fork. The fork should meet with some resistance.
- Cool the potatoes under cold running water. Peel the potatoes, cut them in half, then into 1 inch thick slices, then cube.
- Heat the oil and butter in a heavy skillet. When the butter begins to brown, add the potatoes. Cook the potatoes until well browned and crisp, tossing frequently for approximately 5 minutes. Add the scallions, salt and pepper. Toss and serve with Duck Confit.
