Start to finish: 35 minutes
Hands on time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
3 tablespoons duck fat or olive oil
4 confit duck legs (purchased, or prepared following recipe below)
2 medium leeks, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sauerkraut (do not rinse it)
1 cup chicken broth
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Heat the duck fat in a large nonstick or stick resistant skillet over medium heat. Add the duck legs, skin side down and cook the ducks until the skin side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the duck legs, skin side up to a shallow baking dish and bake them on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the duck fat in the skillet.
Add the leeks to skillet and cook over medium low heat, stirring, until the leeks are slightly golden, about 12 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated and the mushrooms are golden, about 6 minutes. Add the sauerkraut and chicken broth, bring the liquid to a boil and simmer until almost all the liquid is reduced. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, spoon a mound of the sauerkraut mixture onto each of 4 plates and top each portion with one of the duck legs.
COOK’S NOTES
Where to buy raw duck, duck fat and duck confit:
http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/duck-products
Duck Confit in a Slow Cooker
Total cooking time: 5 hours, 35 minutes plus 1 to 3 days marinating time
Hands on cooking time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, lightly crushed
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 pair duck legs with thighs attached
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of them in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Add the duck legs, meat side down and sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the top of the duck. Cover and chill them, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
Remove the duck legs from the bowl, rinse them well with cold water and pat them dry.
Place the duck fat in a slow cooker, Cover and turn the heat to high. When the fat is melted, carefully add the duck. Turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook until the duck is very tender, about 5 hours.
If you are going to eat it right away, remove the duck carefully from the slow cooker with tongs and cook it in a nonstick skillet, skin side down over medium heat, until the skin is crisp.
If you are not going to eat the duck right away, transfer it to a bowl, cover it with the fat and juices from the bag and chill it until you are ready to serve. To reheat the duck, arrange the legs in one layer in a baking pan, cover and cook in a preheated 350 F. oven, for 20 minutes. Transfer to a nonstick pan and cook, skin side down until the skin is crisp.
