Duck Confit With Sauteed Potatoes Recipes

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Cut up ducks: Separate thigh-leg portions in one piece. Bone thigh, leaving it attached to leg bone. Cut off top inch of leg bone with a heavy cleaver. Trim all visible fat from thigh-leg pieces; reserve fat in a heavy saucepan. Remove duck breasts and reserve for another use. Cut away as much fat and skin from the carcass as possible, chop in small pieces, and add to reserved fat.
• Marinate duck pieces: Sprinkle thigh-leg portions all over with salt and turn skin-side down. Sprinkle with mixed spices, saltpeter and pepper. Place herb sprig on each portion. Press together 2 pieces to make 3 packages of thigh-leg portions with skin on outside. Place in a nonreactive baking dish or roasting pan, cover tightly and marinate 24 hours, refrigerated.
• Render duck fat: Add 1 1/2 cups of the wine and just enough water to saucepan of reserved fat to moisten. Heat pan over medium heat and simmer for about 1 hour, or until all wine and water has evaporated, and only golden duck fat remains. Strain out cooked skin and reserve fat.
• Prepare confit: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove duck thigh-leg pieces from refrigerator, discard herb sprigs and pat dry with paper towels. Brush lightly with rendered fat and broil in a preheated broiler, skin-side up, until skin browns, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup wine and let rest for several minutes. Meanwhile, heat rendered duck fat in a large, heavy casserole. When fat boils add duck pieces. Add enough additional rendered duck or goose fat to cover. Bake covered in 300 degree F oven, 2 hours, or until duck is extremely tender, but not falling apart. Place a rack or crisscross a pair of chopsticks in bottom of a heavy earthenware crock. Lay duck pieces on rack, then pour warm fat over to completely cover and seal pieces. When cool, cover top of crock and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving. Duck will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks.
• To finish: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove duck pieces from crock and scrape off most of fat. Place in a roasting pan and heat in a 400 degree oven until crisply brown, about 15 minutes. Serve with garlic potatoes Sauteed in some duck fat.
• * Mixed Spices: Combine 1 teaspoon each crumbled dried basil, crumbled dried thyme, freshly-grated nutmeg, ground cloves, ground white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 bay leaf, crumbled. Yield: about 2 tablespoons
• Cut up ducks: Separate thigh-leg portions in one piece. Bone thigh, leaving it attached to leg bone. Cut off top inch of leg bone with a heavy cleaver. Trim all visible fat from thigh-leg pieces; reserve fat in a heavy saucepan. Remove duck breasts and reserve for another use. Cut away as much fat and skin from the carcass as possible, chop in small pieces, and add to reserved fat.
• Marinate duck pieces: Sprinkle thigh-leg portions all over with salt and turn skin-side down. Sprinkle with mixed spices, saltpeter and pepper. Place herb sprig on each portion. Press together 2 pieces to make 3 packages of thigh-leg portions with skin on outside. Place in a nonreactive baking dish or roasting pan, cover tightly and marinate 24 hours, refrigerated.
• Render duck fat: Add 1 1/2 cups of the wine and just enough water to saucepan of reserved fat to moisten. Heat pan over medium heat and simmer for about 1 hour, or until all wine and water has evaporated, and only golden duck fat remains. Strain out cooked skin and reserve fat.
• Prepare confit: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove duck thigh-leg pieces from refrigerator, discard herb sprigs and pat dry with paper towels. Brush lightly with rendered fat and broil in a preheated broiler, skin-side up, until skin browns, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup wine and let rest for several minutes. Meanwhile, heat rendered duck fat in a large, heavy casserole. When fat boils add duck pieces. Add enough additional rendered duck or goose fat to cover. Bake covered in 300 degree F oven, 2 hours, or until duck is extremely tender, but not falling apart. Place a rack or crisscross a pair of chopsticks in bottom of a heavy earthenware crock. Lay duck pieces on rack, then pour warm fat over to completely cover and seal pieces. When cool, cover top of crock and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving. Duck will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks.
• To finish: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove duck pieces from crock and scrape off most of fat. Place in a roasting pan and heat in a 400 degree oven until crisply brown, about 15 minutes. Serve with garlic potatoes Sauteed in some duck fat.
• * Mixed Spices: Combine 1 teaspoon each crumbled dried basil, crumbled dried thyme, freshly-grated nutmeg, ground cloves, ground white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 bay leaf, crumbled. Yield: about 2 tablespoons

DUCK CONFIT, THE RIGHT WAY

Steps:

• Combine shallot, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub all over duck legs, thighs, and wings.
• Arrange duck parts skin side-up in a dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the seasoning is well absorbed, 24 to 48 hours.
• Rinse off the seasoning and pat the duck dry. Arrange duck in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking pan. Let duck stand until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).
• Melt duck fat in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to form, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour duck fat over the room-temperature duck.
• Bake duck in the preheated oven until tender and the juices run clear, 2 to 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Pour off the duck fat.
• Brush a grill pan with some of the used duck fat and heat over medium-high heat until smoking. Add baked duck; cook in batches until skin is crispy, about 90 seconds per side.

CONFIT OF DUCK WITH HERBED POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Mix the peppercorns, bay, shredded thyme, garlic and salt, then scatter a third of the salt mix over the base of a ceramic dish. Add the duck legs, skin-side up, in a single layer, and scatter over the remaining salt mix (Step 1, above). Cover with cling film and chill for at least 24 hrs.
• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Brush off any undissolved salt mix from the duck (Step 2). Tip the duck or goose fat into a large ovenproof pan and melt completely over a low heat until clear and just starting to bubble. Turn off the heat and slip in the duck legs (Step 3) - they need to be completely submerged, so top up with oil if required.
• Put in the oven and cook for 2 hrs or until a skewer inserted in the duck meat goes in really easily (Step 4). Leave the duck legs to cool in the fat. When cool enough to handle, lift them back into the cleaned dish they were salted in. Pour the fat back over the duck legs (Step 5), trying to avoid the duck juices at the bottom of the pan. Cover with cling film and chill for 12 hrs or up to 2 weeks.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To make the potato cakes, boil the potatoes whole until just tender. When cool enough to handle, peel and coarsely grate. Mix the potatoes with 1 tbsp of the duck fat, the parsley and garlic, then season. Divide the mix into 4 and flatten into patties.
• Pull the duck legs out of the fat (Step 6) and place, skin-side up, in a shallow ovenproof dish. Roast for 20 mins or until crisp all over. While the duck is cooking, heat a bit more of the duck fat in a frying pan and cook the potato cakes for 5 mins on each side until golden. Sit the duck on top of the potato cakes and serve with a few salad leaves around the plate.

DUCK CONFIT WITH POTATO LEEK RAGOUT

Steps:

• Wash sliced leeks and pat dry. Remove duck meat (with skin) from bones in large pieces, reserving meat and bones separately.
• Simmer prunes and Armagnac in a small saucepan until Armagnac is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
• Heat rendered duck fat in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook mushrooms with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook leeks with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, stirring once or twice, until beginning to soften and brown on edges, about 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl with mushrooms.
• Bring wine, bay leaf, thyme, cloves, and zests to a boil in skillet, scraping up any brown bits. Add reserved bones, then broth and 1 cup water and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Add potatoes, leeks, and mushrooms (with any juices) and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add prunes (with any juices), remaining cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender and liquid is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. (If liquid hasn't thickened, remove lid and boil.)
• Meanwhile, cook duck meat, skin side down, covered, in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until skin is well browned and crisp and meat is heated through, about 15 minutes.
• Discard bones and bay leaf from ragout, then season with salt and pepper and serve topped with duck confit.

CONFIT DUCK

Steps:

• The day before cooking, put the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan and toast until they are slightly coloured and aromatic. Remove to a board and crush them with the blade of a knife. Crush the juniper berries and mix with the spices and the salt. Rub the mixture over the duck, scatter with thyme, rosemary and sliced garlic and chill for 24 hrs, turning two or three times as they marinate.
• Next day, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2. Wipe the duck with kitchen paper and pat dry, but don't wash off the marinade. (The salt extracts the water from the meat cells, which will be reinflated with fat as the duck cooks gently. If you wash it, you will simply reinflate the cells with water.)
• Put the duck in a cast-iron casserole and cover with the goose fat or duck fat. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns and cook for about 2½ hrs, or until the meat is almost falling away from the bone. You can store the duck very simply by placing it in a pudding bowl, covering it with the fat and keeping it in the fridge: as long as it stays covered with fat it will last for weeks.
• To cook, remove the confit duck legs from their fat. Put an ovenproof frying pan on the stove until it is hot. Add the duck legs, skin-side down, and cook for 4 mins. Turn the legs and transfer the pan to the oven for 30 mins, until crisp.