Duck Leg Confit with Crisp Skin, Warm Frisée and Walnut Salad

Ingredients

1. 4 piece organic duck legs (about 250–300 g each)
2. 20 g coarse sea salt (about 1.5 % of the leg weight)
3. 1 piece cure: 6 crushed peppercorns, 4 sprigs thyme, 3 bay leaves, 4 garlic cloves, strips of orange zest
4. 700 g duck fat, melted (or half duck fat, half olive oil), enough to cover
5. 200 g organic frisée, curly endive or mixed bitter greens
6. 40 g organic walnuts, toasted
7. 1 piece organic shallot, thinly sliced
8. 2 tbsp walnut oil or olive oil
9. 1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and a pinch of salt
10. 2 tsp reserved duck fat, to wilt the greens

Step-by-step method

1. Cure the duck. Pat the legs dry. Rub salt, pepper, thyme and garlic into both sides. Arrange in a dish, add the bay and orange zest, cover and refrigerate 12–24 hours. Do not exceed 36 hours or the legs become too salty.
2. Heat the oven to 120 °C / 250 °F (fan 110 °C). The target: the fat sits at about 90 °C, barely shivering, never bubbling hard.
3. Rinse and dry. Brush off the herbs and any liquid; rinse quickly under cold water if the surface looks very salty. Pat completely dry.
4. Pack into fat. Place the legs snugly, skin-side up, in a deep ovenproof dish or small Dutch oven. Tuck in the garlic and a fresh bay leaf. Pour the melted duck fat over until the legs are fully submerged.
5. Cook slowly for 3½–4 hours, until the meat pulls from the bone with a gentle nudge and a skewer meets no resistance.
6. Cool in the fat. Let the legs cool in the fat. For best flavour, refrigerate overnight; the fat will set and protect them.
7. To serve, crisp the skin. Lift the legs out of the fat (scrape off excess; save the fat and jelly, which is flavour gold). Heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium heat, skin-side down, 8–10 minutes until deeply crisp. Alternatively, roast on a tray at 220 °C for 15 minutes. The meat should be steaming-hot throughout.
8. Make the dressing and salad. Whisk walnut oil, vinegar, mustard and salt. Warm 2 tsp duck fat in a pan with the shallot for 1 minute, add the greens for 20 seconds so they barely wilt, then toss with the dressing and toasted walnuts.
9. Plate the leg on the greens with a spoon of the confit jelly (the gelatinous layer under the fat) stirred into the salad dressing for richness.

Variations

• Weigh substitutions and recalculate nutrition before serving.

Storage

Best served fresh. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container and use within two days.

Questions and answers