Duck Confit Recipe - Healing Gourmet (2024)

FAQs

What oil is best for confit duck? ›

Select a traditional duck confit recipe and simply use an equal amount of quality extra virgin olive oil in lieu of fat. According to Fat Secret, duck fat and a typical extra virgin olive oil have about the same amount of calories and overall fat, but has less than half the saturated fat found in duck fat.

Part 5: Crisping skin and finishing the Duck Confit

Dab excess fat off with paper towels; Skin crisping: Pour 2.5cm / 1″ boiling water water into a roasting pan, then set a rack over the pan. Place the duck on the rack, skin side up. Serve straight away while the skin is at it's crispiest best!

You should be able to reuse duck fat at least three times for confit before it gets too salty from the duck leg cure and needs to be tossed. Clearly label what number use you're on when you store it and give it a taste before cooking just to make sure it's not overly salty.

Cook until duck is completely tender and meat shows almost no resistance when pierced with a paring knife, and skin has begun to pull away from bottom of the drumstick, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove from oven and cool duck to room temperature in its cooking vessel, removing lid but keeping it submerged in fat.

Mashed potatoes

The buttery taste of mashed potatoes helps balance out the saltiness of the Duck Confit, making for a well-rounded meal. You could also consider adding some herbs or other seasonings to the mashed potatoes to give them a bit more flavour, such as adding some fresh thyme, chives, or garlic.

It is true of any confit recipe, but it's imperative when cooking duck, which is naturally lean and gamey. Cook the meat slowly and gently, at a low temperature of 250 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the key to producing tender results if you're cooking with whole leg quarters (instead of just the legs).

There are several health advantages to duck confit. Monounsaturated fats, which are excellent for your heart, are abundant in duck fat. A good supply of protein, iron, and amino acids that your body needs to operate correctly is also included in duck confit.

You can render duck fat yourself, or you can substitute lard. Once you make confit, you can keep it in the fridge for months."

Of course, duck confit and white Tarbais beans are a natural pairing, best experienced in cassoulet. But another favorite is duck confit with lentils, as this recipe attests. Get French green lentils, often called lentilles du Puy, if you can find them. Serve over creamed sorrel or spinach.

Can I mix duck fat with olive oil for confit? ›

Sure, procuring duck fat within which you submerge the duck legs can be expensive and tricky. However, rest assured, you can do this all in olive oil or some combination of duck fat and olive oil if you so desire.

The remaining infused olive oil can be used to add flavor to your dishes for weeks.

When improperly seasoned, confit can easily become either too salty or lacking in flavor. To avoid this, it's important to first understand how confits are seasoned. Confits are seasoned with a salt cure, which (besides salt) can also contain herbs like pepper, thyme, leeks, or bay leaves (via MasterClass).

The best side dishes to serve with duck confit are creamy mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, garlic green beans, roasted root vegetables, sautéed Brussels sprouts, mushroom risotto, potatoes au gratin, ratatouille, yellow rice, and French lentil salad.

While confit is most commonly seen with duck or goose legs—it makes sense, considering it's a technique that stems from southwest France—it's ideal for any number of meats that are suitable for low and slow cooking. That is, any meat with a good deal of connective tissue that begs for tenderizing.

Melt enough duck fat (or warm enough oil) to cover the legs in an ovenproof pan big enough to fit them (but small enough to fit in the oven). Put the legs in, cover with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for 3 hours.

In order to confit food, it is often necessary to cure it in salt and then slowly cook it in a fat such as duck fat, chicken fat, or olive oil. Sugar syrup is sometimes used to confit fruit or citrus peels.

Strain the liquid fat into an oven-proof container with the duck legs, bay leaf, rosemary and whole garlic clove. The liquid should cover the duck legs completely. If not, add a bit more vegetable oil to it until they do.

Tallow, lard, schmaltz, olive oil, or seed oil will all work for confit, though the more flavorful fats with moderate saturated fat content are my favorites. I prefer traditional duck or goose fat for dark meats and olive oil for lighter meats such as rabbit, squirrel, and upland birds.