Duck Legs- Not Just for Confit

For some reason, I have only ever cooked duck legs using the confit method, where the meat is first cured for several hours or overnight and then just barely simmered in a bath of fat until it’s moist and tender and falls off the bone. But I was fresh out of duck fat and, since we moved to the somewhat isolated mountains, such luxuries as duck fat are not so easy to come by on a moment’s notice. So I decided to roast these babies and I’m telling you, it may be my new go-to for duck legs. These beauties got picked and the meat spread over a crème-fraîche, parm, vadouvan-caramelized onion, and spinach pizza- it. was. glorious. Hope you give it a try!

Roasted Duck Legs
Season all sides of the duck with your choice of seasoning, I adore ras al hanout with duck, so generously sprinkled that and sea salt all over. You could also keep it simple with salt and pepper, or salt and herbs )like thyme and rosemary with lemon zest). The world is your season oyster!

Place (skin-side up- very important to allow the fat to render and baste the meat as it does so) in a roasting dish or sheet pan, then into a pre-heated 275 degree oven

Gently roast until the meat is so tender that it comes off of the bone with just a little tug- around 2-3 hours

If you want to serve the legs whole, simply turn the broiler on to crispy-up the skin for a minute or two, alternatively, you can set the legs aside to let them cool, then pick off all of the meat to add to pasta, pizza, grain salad, green salad, or anything your little heart desires.

Now let’s talk wine pairings. My go-to with duck is almost always a medium body red with a balanced acidity and some sour cherry notes. Langhe Nebbiolo (fave producers include G.D Vajra and Vietti) and Frappato (COS is a wonderful producer) never disappoints, neither do cool climate pinot noirs (like West Sonoma Coast, Santa Rita Hills, Burgundy, and Willamette Valley for a start), Gamay (particularly Beaujolais from Morgon, Fleurie, Chiroubles, or Moulain-à-Vent; also Arnot-Roberts and Jolie-Laide produce some lovely gamays). Other loves with duck include Birdhorse Wines Valdigué and Carignan and Raft Wines Sangiovese. Of course, these are just a few- there are so many wonderful producers out there and the journey discovering them is half the fun!

Enjoy!