Celery Free Duck Confit with Crispy Skin
Duck confit is one of those dishes that feels impossibly luxurious, and the reality is that it's mostly just patience and good technique. The legs are cured overnight with salt, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, and smashed garlic, then slow-cooked submerged in duck fat at a low oven temperature until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. That long, gentle bath in fat is what makes the flesh so silky and deeply flavored — nothing rushed, nothing complicated. The real payoff comes at the end, when the legs hit a screaming-hot cast iron skillet skin-side down and transform into something shatteringly crisp and golden in just a few minutes. A finish of flaky sea salt is all it needs. The ingredient list is refreshingly short and completely free of any hidden vegetable aromatics that can sneak into restaurant or store-bought versions, so what you see is exactly what you get. Whether you're cooking for a dinner party or treating yourself on a slow weekend, this is the kind of recipe that makes you feel like a serious cook.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the cure
- 4 duck legs (about 3 lb total)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
For the confit
- 3 cups duck fat (or enough to fully submerge the legs)
For serving
- flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- 1
Pat the duck legs completely dry with paper towels. Rub each leg all over with the kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Arrange them in a single layer in a baking dish and tuck the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and smashed garlic cloves around and under them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
- 2
Remove the duck legs from the refrigerator and brush off any excess salt and aromatics. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 225°F (107°C).
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