Duck confit is one of those dishes that feels impossibly luxurious, and the reality is that it comes together with just a handful of clean, unfussy ingredients — duck legs, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and duck fat. The cure is simple and hands-off, and the long, slow oven bath in rendered fat transforms the meat into something silky and fall-off-the-bone tender that you genuinely cannot achieve any other way. For anyone navigating grain sensitivities, this recipe is a natural fit — every single component is whole and unprocessed, with zero hidden fillers or grain-based additives to worry about. The real payoff comes at the end, when the legs hit a screaming-hot cast iron skillet and the skin crisps up into something shatteringly golden and deeply savory. A finish of flaky sea salt is all it needs. This is the kind of recipe that looks like it came out of a serious restaurant kitchen but asks very little of you beyond patience and a good oven.
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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.
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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