Duck Confit

Ingredients

• 14 duck legs (about 300g each)
• 220g coarse sea salt
• 31 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 44 sprigs fresh thyme
• 53 bay leaves
• 64 garlic cloves, crushed
• 71 tsp juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 8Enough duck fat to submerge (about 1kg / 4 cups), melted
• 9Green lentils or sautéed potatoes, to serve
• 10Dijon mustard and salad leaves, to serve

Instructions

1. 1The day before: rub duck legs all over with salt, pepper, thyme, bay, garlic, and juniper berries. Cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.
2. 2Rinse the cure off the duck legs and pat very dry with kitchen paper.
3. 3Preheat oven to 140°C (285°F). Place duck legs skin-side down in an oven dish. Pour over enough melted duck fat to completely submerge the legs.
4. 4Cook in oven for 2–2.5 hours until the meat is very tender and pulls away from the bone easily.
5. 5Remove duck legs from fat and allow to cool. (Store in fat in the fridge for up to 1 month.)
6. 6To serve: heat a skillet over high heat. Place duck legs skin-side down (no added fat) and cook for 5–8 minutes until the skin is crispy and rendered golden.
7. 7Serve over Puy lentils, alongside roasted garlic potatoes, or with a sharply dressed green salad.