This process gives the meat the most fabulous texture and flavour, duck legs are particularly worth the wait – cooked long and slow in fat flavoured with aromatic herbs until meltingly tender, preserved in that fat, then roasted quickly until crisp and golden. The braised red cabbage which is sweet and sharp counterbalances the duck.
The Frisée salade is a perfect balance for both.
Sheila did make the duck confit, but, honestly sometimes life is too short, if you can get hold of a tin, or a vacuum pack, its as good. Try Amazon. Or maybe you have a friend or relative who lives in France who can bring you some over.
INGREDIENTS serves 4
For the Duck Confit
4 large duck legs
100g sel gris or rock salt
900g duck or goose fat
For the Braised Red Cabbage
500g red cabbage, core removed and the rest thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced’
250g cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons muscovado sugar
¼ teaspoon mixed ground spices, such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
15g butter
Frisée salade for serving- optional.
METHOD
Make the duck confit at least 24 hours before you want to serve this dish. Place one duck leg in the bottom of a deep plastic, glass or stainless-steel bowl, sprinkle with a little of the salt, turn it over, sprinkle with more salt and add another duck leg. Continue until you’ve used up the duck legs and the salt. Cover and leave in the fridge for 6 hours, turning the legs over halfway through. Don’t leave any longer or the duck will become too salty. In France you can buy Duck confit in tins. They are easy to use and good value, so why not!
Preheat the oven to 140°C Rub the salt off the duck legs and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Bring the duck or goose fat to a gentle simmer in a casserole dish in which the duck legs will fit snugly. Add the legs, making sure they are completely submerged, cover and transfer the dish to the oven. Cook for 1 ½ hours, then remove from the oven and leave to cool in the fat. Chill (in the fat) for at least 24 hours or until needed.
For the braised red cabbage, preheat the oven to 150c. Layer the cabbage, onions, apples, vinegar, sugar, spices, salt and pepper into a small casserole dish, dot with butter and cover with a well-fitting lid. Leave to cook for 3 hours, stirring once or twice.
To serve, you can reheat the duck in one of two ways. Preheat the oven to 220c Lift the duck legs out of the fat and wipe off most but not quiet all of it with kitchen paper. Put them skin –side up onto a rack resting over a roasting tin and roast for 15-20 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden and the mean has heated through. Alternatively, sauté the legs in a frying pan over medium heat until crisp golden and heated through. …….. or follow the instructions on the tin.
Spoon some of the red cabbage slightly to one side of 4 warmed plates and rest a piece of the duck confit on top. Pile some Friese salad alongside and serve.
Original recipe Rick Stein French Odyssey
Leave a Comment