Confit Style Roast Duck Legs

yes...i'm still riding the DUCK TRAIN...

and still lovin' every bite of it. if you're game (pardon the pun...so so sorry..they just slip out and i can't help it) please do try some duck cookin'. i think you might find it interesting and a bit more flavorful than the ever popular ever so over used chicken. i am continuously looking for things that have just that little extra something. duck has that rich flavor that chicken sometimes lacks. i recently cooked some duck breasts (expensive, by the way) and i thought it tasted like a cross between a good filet mignon and a perfectly cooked chicken. sounds odd, but it was like a flying cow. the texture was meaty and the flavor was poultry. the leg and thigh are a rich dark meat that are equally as tasty, but not so expensive...2 leg/thighs run about $5.00 as opposed to 2 breasts costing around $18.00 smackers.

if you haven't tried duck, i suggest you do. i found a recipe that is fairly easy and the end result is a roasted confit-style duck, but with a fabulous crispy skin. the truth is...i've never had REAL duck confit, so i have nothing to compare it to. i must say that now after all the duck i have been making i DO have enough rendered duck fat to make a good confit. i've read that it takes a few days to do a proper job of it.

one of these days i'll get to the real deal, but for now this Easy Duck Confit recipe will do just fine.
this great recipe was found at Simple Recipes posted by Hank Shaw. many many thanks to Hank and his pals at Simple Recipes for introducing a quick Confit by making it sound so easy and SIMPLE.

EASY DUCK CONFIT

original recipe HERE

 Ingredients
Duck legs-thigh attached (at least one per person)
Salt...

duck fat.  not too much, but  have a little extra on hand for the size dish you are using and how many legs are cooking.

i also added fresh thyme to the salt rub and fresh tarragon, unpeeled garlic cloves and about 1/4 cup extra duck fat to the roasting dish as you can see in the photo above. i added the extra duck fat because my legs weren't snug in the dish and i though it would help in the confit-style cooking...not necessary if your legs are fatty (please don't take this out of context)...just use a dish that will fit the legs snug.

EDIT(10-29-2012)...from here on out i pretty much followed the method found at Simple Recipes.  it's an easy fun read so please check them out for their well thought out instructions.  

my additions were the thyme, tarragon, unpeeled garlic, extra duck fat....and i did not poke holes in the fatty duck skin...i gave it a few slashes with a sharp knife as you can see in the top photo.

make sure you save your duck fat.  mine was delicious after being infused with the herbs and garlic...i use it as "DUCK BUTTER"

PS...to those concerned.  my apologies for not following up on the "edit" 2 yrs ago as i should have...and again, many thanks for the great short-cut confit recipe.