Crispy Duck Confit with Bitter Greens and Shoestring Potatoes
Serves 4 · Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 3 hours · Rest: overnight · Total: about 16 hours
Salt the duck the night before. The next day, it cooks under fat while you do something else. Crisping takes about fifteen minutes at the end.
The salad needs bitterness and acid. Frisée, mustard greens, or radicchio keep the duck from taking over the whole plate.
Ingredients
Duck confit
- 4 duck legs
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2 teaspoons fine salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 4 cups duck fat, or enough to cover
Orange vinaigrette and greens
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 ounces bitter greens, such as frisée, radicchio, or mustard greens
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Shoestring potatoes
- 1 large russet potato
- Neutral oil, for frying
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- 1
Season the duck
Pat the duck legs dry. Season them all over with salt and black pepper. Add the thyme and garlic, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
- 2
Rinse and dry
Heat the oven to 250°F. Brush the salt and aromatics from the duck, rinse briefly under cold water, and dry every surface with towels.
- 3
Cook the confit
Fit the legs snugly in a Dutch oven or deep baking dish. Warm the duck fat until liquid and pour it over the legs. Cover and bake for 2½ to 3 hours, until a thin knife slides into the thigh without resistance.
- 4
Cool the duck
Lift the legs from the fat and set them on a rack. Let them cool for 20 minutes. Strain the fat and save it for another batch of confit or roasted potatoes.
- 5
Make the vinaigrette
Whisk the orange juice, sherry vinegar, Dijon, and honey. Whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
- 6
Cut the potatoes
Peel the russet and cut it into matchsticks no thicker than ⅛ inch. Rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Dry them completely. Wet potatoes spit oil and refuse to crisp.
- 7
Fry the potatoes
Heat 2 inches of neutral oil to 350°F. Fry the potato strings in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp and pale gold. Drain on a rack and season with salt.
- 8
Crisp the duck
Raise the oven to 450°F. Put the legs skin-side up on a sheet pan and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin bubbles and turns crisp. A broiler can burn the high spots quickly, so watch closely if you use it for the final minute.
- 9
Serve
Toss the greens with enough vinaigrette to coat them. Divide among plates, add the hot duck, and pile the shoestring potatoes over the top.
Recipe notes
Cook’s notes
- Cooked duck legs can stay submerged in strained fat in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring them to room temperature before crisping.
- When duck fat is hard to find, use enough olive oil to cover the legs and keep the oven at 250°F.
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