duck confit and what to do with it

WHOLE LEGS:

You simply need to reheat the duck confit. You can do this in a preheated skillet (cast iron) by just adding a little duck fat and then the duck legs skin side down to crisp the skin, flip them over and let them heat through either on the stove top or in the oven. (There is duck fat and duck jus in the bag with the duck legs. Use the fat to crisp the legs or potatoes. You can save the jus, reheat it and use as a sauce.)

I often serve the duck legs on a base of either beluga lentils, wild rice or black rice with a salad of bitter greens, then the duck legs and a thick and juicy fruit sauce on top. (see below) 

SHREDDED DUCK LEGS:

You can also shred the meat off the bone, discard the bones and cartilage and crisp it in a hot pan with a little duck fat. I use the meat off the bone like this to make a warm salad or duck fried rice.

When removing the skin from legs, try to keep as intact as possible. To crisp the skin, arrange skin in a single layer in heavy bottomed pan. Cook over low heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 20–30 minutes. Using tongs, transfer skin to paper towels and blot away excess fat. Cut into strips and use as garnish.



WARM DUCK SALAD WITH BITTER GREENS AND FRUIT VINAIGRETTE

Hardy bitter greens like radicchio, dandelion greens, frisee

Shallot

1-2 soft persimmons (this is also good with ripe stone fruits like peaches in the summer) 

Toasted almonds or pecans or hazelnuts

Sherry vinegar

Olive oil

To make a fresh fruit vinaigrette:

Push the fruits flesh through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl then add olive oil until balanced.

This is a great use of soft fruits. Warning: these amounts are estimates! This is more of a guide than a precise recipe. In a medium bowl put ½ shallot minced and just cover it with sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt. Put a strainer over the bowl and push the soft fruit flesh through the strainer with a rubber spatula. You should have about ½ cup of fruit puree. Let this mixture sit and macerate for a minute. Taste this mixture… It should be sweet and acidic (remember it has no fat added yet to balance it out.) If the fruit isn’t that sweet, you could add a touch of honey. If it’s very fruity, you can add a bit more vinegar. To this mixture add olive oil (you can also add a touch of a nut oil like walnut if you have it.). Add less oil if you will be having it with rich meat that has a lot of fat (like duck confit or roast pork). Taste as you add the oil, you can keep it more pungent and think of it more like a chutney sauce or add more oil to balance it out. (This dressing is also great with grain salads -like wild rice, barley or farro- with bitter greens, nuts, herbs and cheese.)

To prepare the salad:

peel the skin off and slice it into thin strips, shred the meat and discard the bones. In a bowl, place cleaned, hardy bitter salad greens (like dandelion, radicchio). In a preheated skillet, add a little duck fat and then the shredded meat, sliced skin and some sliced shallots or spring onion. Cook until hot and crisped. Add the hot duck to the bowl of greens along with some of the fruit vinaigrette and toss. Add arugula to the salad (I add it later so it doesn’t wilt too much) along with sliced fresh fruit and toasted nuts. Toss gently and adjust seasoning.