Easy Classic Duck Confit Recipe
Duck confit is a French classic dish and an essential ingredient in the classic cassoulet and so delicious in salads, or with duck fat fries.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 2 persons
Ingredients
- 1pound duck legs
- ⅓cup kosher salt
- 1teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)
- 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (ground)
- 4medium bay leaves
- 2cup duck or goose fat
- 12black peppercorns
Instructions
Step 1
Gather the ingredients.Step 2
Sprinkle salt, black pepper, and thyme all over duck legs. Place into a heavy pot and tuck bay leaves in. Cover and store in refrigerator overnight.Step 3
The next day, preheat oven to 250 F. Take duck legs from pot and keep bay leaves. Clean off salt, thyme, and pepper with a paper towel. Do not wash. Wipe out pot, then add legs back and pour over melted duck or goose fat to cover. Add back bay leaves and place in center of oven and cook for 4 hours. The meat should be cooked through and starting to fall from the bone.Step 4
Once cooked, lift legs from duck fat onto a plate.Step 5
Strain duck fat through a fine sieve or a coffee filter. Place duck legs into a clean Kilner jar and cover with duck fat. Close lid and leave to cool, then place into refrigerator to allow fat to set. The confit can now be stored as detailed below.Step 6
To reheat the confit when you are ready to eat it, gently warm jar in hot water to soften fat. Lift duck legs from their fat and place into a hot frying pan skin-side down, and cook for 3 to 4 mins. Turn legs over, skin side up, and place in a hot oven until heated right through—about 20 minutes.