In this luscious ragoût, the slow cooking transforms the duck into a meat more succulent than any confit you have ever tasted. What seems like extravagance—buying three whole ducks to get six legs—is well worth it when you taste this amazing dish. And anyway, you can freeze the boned breasts for another meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 whole duck legs (about 6 ounces each)
- 1 large onion, cut in half lengthwise and slivered
- 2 large leeks, including 3 inches green, rinsed well, halved lengthwise, and slivered crosswise
- 8 cloves garlic
- 12 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1 bouquet garni: 3 sprigs fresh rosemary and 10 sprigs fresh parsley tied together with string
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 cups Basic Chicken Broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep flame-proof casserole over medium heat. Add 2 duck legs and brown them well, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and repeat with the remaining duck legs. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the fat in the casserole.
- Add the onion, leeks, garlic, and carrots to the casserole and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the onion and leeks are very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Tuck in the bouquet garni and the bay leaves. Arrange the duck legs among the vegetables, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the broth.
- Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. If the dish is browning too quickly at this point, cover the casserole with aluminum foil. Continue to bake until the meat is tender, 30 minutes more.
- Transfer the duck legs to a plate. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to an oven-to-table serving dish that is large enough to also hold the duck. Discard the bouquet garni and the bay leaves. Arrange the duck legs on top of the vegetables. Pour the pan juices through a gravy separator, or allow the juices to cool slightly and then skim the fat from the top.
- Pour 1 cup of the defatted pan juices over the duck and vegetables. If necessary, reheat the dish in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.