Confit de Canard - the Cheat's Version!

Firstly, I am sorry if you are looking for detailed instructions for preparing  confit de canard, I would recommend that you look at book such as  Raymond Blanc's Foolproof French Cookery for that!

 I buy my Confit de Canard in tins from French supermarkets.  It can be purchased in England  in some supermarkets or online.  The Confit de Canard that  I have used in this recipe is available from FrenchClick.co.uk, here, but is quite a bit more expensive then buying it in France.  Confit de Canard is one of those things I recommend buying if you are taking the car to Europe and coming back via a French port.


Once you open the tin, you will find a layer of duck fat, scrape this off and retain it.  Take the ducks legs out of the tin and put them on the rack of your oven roaster, more fat will drip off during the cooking process.

Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes.  I usually turn the legs half way through the cooking process, to ensure that they are crisp on both sides.

These make a great Sunday lunch, and a tin in reserve is always useful for unexpected guests.

The duck is delicious with the usual vegetables, and of course the duck fat makes superb roast potatoes.

If you look at the photographs towards the end of this post you will see why I suggested you retain the fat.  I heat it in a pan and then drain it through a sieve, into a glass jar.  I label and date the fat, and once it is cooled put it in the fridge.  It will keep for ages and you will have wonderful duck fat for your roast potatoes even when you are not eating duck!


This is my second entry into One Ingredient, hosted by Laura at How to Cook Good Food and Nazima at Working London Mummy.  I hope that  duck counts as poultry!  I do think for lots of busy working people a few meals like this are a great stand-by!

NB you can buy smaller tins/jars of Confit de Canard, which would be ideal for one or two people.  On the other hand you could open two (or more) large tins, should you have a lot of people to cook for!

Duck with roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips

In the French supermarket, near the Cassoulet

A tin of duck

Open the tin

The duck is stored in a layer of fat,
I keep this as it's perfect for roast potatoes

I cook the duck on a roasting tray, allowing the fat to
drip below

I turn the duck half way through the cooking process
to really let the skin crisp

Roast the duck for about 45 minutes

Delicious

While the duck is cooking
I melt the excess fat in a small pan

Strain through a sieve

Put the liquid in a jar

Label and put in the fridge
(it will solidify)