Duck Confit with Three Types of Carrots

Duck confit is one of my favorite dishes to cook. It can be made several days ahead and stays well in the refrigerator immersed in duck fat for weeks, although it will be long gone by then. The only difficult part of the dish is accumulating the quantity of duck fat which is needed to immerse the legs. For that reason I tend to buy a whole duck, and render my own duck fat. The carcass can then be used for duck stock. The breasts for a magret dish and legs for confit.

Ducks are a great value in cooking considering what a whole duck costs and what the final products are. Furthermore, what many cooks are unaware of is the health benefits of duck fat.

Duck fat contains 35.7% saturates, 50.5% monounsaturates (high in linoleic acid) and 13.7% polyunsaturated fats.(which contains Omega-6 and Omega-3 essential oils). This compares to olive oil which is: 75% monounsaturated fat (mostly oleic acid) 13% saturated fat and 10% Omega-6 linoleic acid and 2% Omega-3 linoleic acid. The main difference between chicken, turkey and duck is that duck contains more linoleic acid, which chicken and turkey contain a higher amount of polyunsaturated fats --- Read more about Health Benefits of Duck Fat

Preparation of Duck

For each 4 legs:

One of two days ahead marinate the duck legs using: 6 tablespoons of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper, 3 smashed and diced garlic cloves, 2 crumbled bay leaves, 1 tablespoon crushed juniper berries and 2 tablespoons fresh thyme.

Note: This is my standard marinade, but you can either add or delete several items. Some marinates work nice using ginger and star anise instead of juniper berries. What's most important is using enough salt which will draw out moisture from the legs. Just make sure to rinse and pat dry the legs before cooking or the dish will be too salty.

Cook the duck for 3 hours at 200F and then 2 hours at about 180F. If you are preparing this dish for guests you can do the 3 hours a few days before, then on the same day just leave the pot in the oven for two hours at 200F. You should begin however to monitor the dish after 3 hours to be careful that the duck does not release from the bone. It won't be a problem with taste but will be more difficult in presentation and for crisping the skin. It is best to start testing the duck using a wood skewer. The skewer should slide smoothly into the meat, but the meat should stil be attached to the bone.

Crisping the Skin

Heat one or two tablespoons of fat in a nonstick frying pan. Add the duck legs skin side down and cook on a medium flame till the skin crisps. It may be necessary to hold the legs down to allow for an even sear. Other methods include putting the leg under the broiler in the oven skin side down -- use whatever method works best for you. It may take a few times to get a method you feel comfortable with to crisp the skin, so be patient with this step.

Notes in crisping: Make sure the leg has been left at room temperature before beginning the process.

Preparing the Carrots:

Sauté the carrots in duck fat until some browning begins to occur. Be careful not to go past this point since duck fat can easily burn vegetables. At this point add a small amount of stock (duck, chicken or vegetable). Continue to cook the carrots letting the stock get absorbed by the carrots. Repeat this a second time. You can either do this above on the stove or preferably in the oven. The third time add a teaspoon or two of sugar and more stock. This time let the carrots begin to caramelize a bit. At more stock until the desired taste and consistency is achieved.

STORING DUCK FAT

It is important in storing duck fat that there are no water soluble products in the fat. This can increase the level of oxidation and decrease the lifetime of the fat. After leaving the fat to rest in the refrigerator for a day or two remove the fat and scrape off the liquid at the bottom which will be an excellent source of rich duck stock for your sauce

Also skim any nonfat substances that may have risen to the top of the fat. What's left will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a long period of time and can be used again for confit or frying vegetables -- it is an excellent alternative to butter.

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