- The day before you will be cooking your duck, toss together the Kosher salt, peppercorns, shallots, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme and rosemary in a large bowl. Toss the duck legs in the dry rub and select a pan in which they can lay snugly side by side in a single layer. Lay the breast in the pan, cover them, and place them in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- The following day, remove the pan from the fridge and rinse the duck legs in cold water. Pat them dry and place them in a high-sided roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 225 ̊F, making sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven.
- While the oven is warming, place the pan with the duck breasts on the stove, skin side down, and add the rendered duck fat to the pan. The duck fat should just be enough to cover the duck legs (a little of the leg bone sticking out is okay!)
- Over medium-high heat gently heat, allow the rendered duck fat to reach a rolling bubble. Once a full rolling bubble is achieved, remove the pan from the heat.
- Cover the duck legs with a layer of parchment paper, gently pushing down on the paper to remove any trapped air bubbles from under the legs. Then add a layer of tin foil or baking lid as an extra cover over the pan.
- Cook for 4 hours. When the duck is done, gently prod the leg to check it- the meat should be falling off the bone and give no resistance when pierced gently with a knife or fork.
*You only need enough duck fat to cover the duck legs. This may range between two cups and 4 cups, depending on the number and size of the legs.
Optional: Crispy Skin Finish
While this optional finish adds an extra 45 minutes, crisping the duck confit skin makes for an extra tasty leg! Remove the duck legs from the oven and turn up the heat to 465 ̊F. Very gently remove the legs from the rendered fat (so they don’t fall apart) and place them on a roasting rack, skin-side up. Pat off the remaining fat and let sit for a minute. While waiting, place 1” boiling water in the bottom of a new roasting pan and place the rack over the pan. Roast the legs for 40 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice, to make sure that all the skin has a chance to brown. Serve immediately once removed from the oven!
Serve With:
Some great side dish ideas for this dish include creamy garlic mashed potatoes, French green lentils, sautéed Swiss chard, or honey-roasted carrots.
Wine Pairing:
Duck preserved in its own fat is fall off the bone tender, but it has an oleaginous quality which an off-dry white wine is poised to cut through. A Pinot Gris, Picpoul, or Chenin Blanc carry the right crisp and floral merits to do the job credibly. If you prefer a red, Beaujolais, Zweigelt, or Grenache are all light-bodied and fruit-forward, complimentary to duck flavor.
