SLOW-COOKED DUCK LEGS WITH OLIVES

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Slow-Cooked Duck Legs with Olives image

Unless you've made your own duck confit, you may never have cooked duck legs by themselves; but in many ways they're superior to both duck breasts and whole birds. They're quite lean, and just a quick trimming of the excess fat is all that's necessary. And, given proper cooking-that is, long, slow cooking-they become fork-tender and richly flavorful, reminiscent of some of the "lesser" cuts of beef and pork, like brisket and cheek. Finally, it's easy enough to cook enough legs for eight-which is hardly the case with whole duck!

Yield makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

4 duck legs
5 or more garlic cloves
1 cup olives, preferably a combination of green and black
Several fresh thyme sprigs
One 14-ounce can tomatoes with juice
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (optional)
1 carrot, roughly chopped (optional)
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Steps:

  • Trim all visible fat from the duck legs, then lay them in a large, broad skillet; they can overlap if necessary. Turn the heat to medium and add all the remaining ingredients except the parsley. When the mixture reaches a lively simmer, turn the heat to low and cover.
  • Cook, checking occasionally-the mixture should be bubbling gently when you remove the cover-until the duck is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the duck to a warm plate and cover (or put in a very low oven), then turn the heat to medium-high under the remaining sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to a thick, saucelike consistency, about 10 minutes. Spoon over the duck legs, garnish, and serve.

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