Best Really Easy Duck Confit Recipes

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DUCK CONFIT, THE RIGHT WAY



Duck Confit, the Right Way image

Duck confit takes a while to prepare properly but is well worth the effort. This melt-in-your mouth duck treat will become a favorite. I buy whole ducks and then remove legs/wings whole and breasts from the bone. Always keep the skin on duck! You can easily double this recipe if you're having a dinner party. I learned this method from Chef Uriah of the Columbian Cafe of Astoria, Oregon. The breasts become pan roasted Muscovy duck (see my recipe) and the legs/wings become confit. Never roast a Muscovy duck whole: the breast comes out dry, musky, and bitter tasting.

Provided by brujakitty

Categories     Meat and Poultry Recipes     Game Meats     Duck

Time P1DT3h13m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 shallot, minced
¼ cup evaporated cane sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 sprigs thyme, chopped
4 duck legs with thighs
4 duck wings, trimmed
4 cups duck fat

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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 554.4 calories, Carbohydrate 5.3 g, Cholesterol 137.8 mg, Fat 47.2 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 23.5 g, SaturatedFat 13.2 g, Sodium 3103 mg, Sugar 2.3 g

EASY DUCK CONFIT



Easy Duck Confit image

The name of this recipe may seem laughable. Isn't confit meant to be an arduous, messy, not-really-easy thing to make at home? Doesn't it involve large quantities of hot liquid fat and even larger reserves of patience? Surely chefs have a trick to getting those duck legs to be so rich, so luxurious? This version is not traditional, and it is still a time investment for home cooks (the legs are cured for 24 hours, and then cooked for about 3 ½ hours more). But by allowing the duck legs to cook in their own rendered fat, rather than adding quarts of extra fat to the pan, you have a recipe that is far less of a pain to both prepare and clean up. And the method is truly simple, with results that are just as outrageously good. The duck lasts for at least 5 days in the refrigerator, and should be reheated in a 350-oven until warm. Then run the legs under the broiler until crisp.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories     dinner, easy, main course

Time 3h30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf, crumbled
8 moulard duck legs (about 4 pounds total), rinsed and patted dry but not trimmed
Roasted potatoes, noodles or sturdy salad greens for serving
Bitter salad greens such as arugula, chicory and/or radicchio, for serving

Steps:

  • In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf pieces. Sprinkle duck generously with mixture. Place duck legs in a pan in one layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  • The next day, heat oven to 325 degrees.Place duck legs, fat side down, in a large ovenproof skillet, with legs fitting snugly in a single layer (you may have to use two skillets or cook them in batches). Heat duck legs over medium-high heat until fat starts to render. When there is about 1/4 inch of rendered fat in pan, about 20 minutes, flip duck legs, cover pan with foil, and place it in oven. If you have used two pans, transfer duck and fat to a roasting pan, cover with foil and place in oven.
  • Roast legs for 2 hours, then remove foil and continue roasting until duck is golden brown, about 1 hour more. Remove duck from fat; reserve fat for other uses.
  • Serve duck hot or warm, over roasted potatoes or noodles or sturdy salad greens.

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