Slow-Cooked Crisp Duck Legs with Fried Potatoes and Frisée Salad
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Lightly cured duck legs cook slowly in their own rendered fat until tender, then crisp in the oven, served with golden duck-fat potatoes and a sharp frisée salad.
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Method
- 1
Cure overnight. The day before, mix the duck salt, pepper, thyme and bay and rub it all over the legs. Lay them in one layer in the dish, cover and refrigerate for 24 h (up to 36 h). The salt seasons the meat deeply and draws out moisture, firming the texture.
- 2
Render the fat. Heat the oven to 160°C (fan 140°C). Pat the legs dry without rinsing, since the cure is light, and lay them skin side down, snugly in one layer, in the ovenproof pan with the garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 20 min until roughly 5 mm of fat has melted into the pan. That fat becomes the cooking medium for the slow stage.
- 3
Slow-cook covered. Turn the legs skin side up, cover the pan tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 2 h. Gentle, moist heat in the fat breaks down the tough connective tissue in the legs.
- 4
Crisp uncovered. Take off the foil and cook for 45 min-1 h more, until the skin is deep golden and the meat pulls easily from the bone. Check the thickest part of a thigh, away from bone: it must read at least 74°C, and will usually be well above.
- 5
Fry the potatoes. While the duck finishes, boil the potato slices in unsalted water for 5 min until just tender, drain and steam dry for 5 min. Spoon 3 tbsp of the duck fat into the jug, then into the frying pan over medium-high heat, keeping the rest for another use. Fry the potatoes in one layer for 10-15 min, turning, until golden and crisp, then season with the potato salt and parsley; dry surfaces fry crisp instead of spitting.
- 6
Dress the salad. Whisk the shallot, cider vinegar and olive oil together and toss with the frisée just before serving. Dressing at the last moment keeps the curly leaves crisp.
- 7
Serve. Place one leg per person skin side up, with the potatoes and salad alongside. The sharp dressing balances the richness of the duck.
Storage
Cool within 2 hours and refrigerate the duck for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat skin side up in a hot oven until piping hot (74°C), which also re-crisps the skin.
Equipment
- shallow dish or tray with cling film
- large ovenproof frying pan or roasting tin that fits the legs snugly
- foil
- large frying pan (30 cm)
- large saucepan
- heatproof jug
- tongs
- salad bowl
- instant-read probe thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 713 kcal |
| Protein | 36.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 35.9 g |
| of which sugars | 2.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 47 g |
| of which saturates | 12.3 g |
| Fibre | 5.4 g |
| Salt | 2.22 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
5.1 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
