Duck Confit

Ingredients

• 6 duck legs
• 3/4 cup kosher salt
• 8 black peppercorns
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 8 thyme sprigs
• 3 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 quart rendered duck fat, melted (or mild olive oil)

Directions

Press duck legs, flesh-side down, into salt. Lightly sprinkle additional salt on fat side. In a nonreactive container layer duck legs with herbs and spices: Place 3 legs in container, fat-side down, cover with peppercorns, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and press on remaining 3 legs, flesh-side down. Store overnight, covered and refrigerated

Remove legs from container, rinse off salt and seasonings under cold water and pat dry. Place in a deep saucepan or Dutch oven large enough to hold legs in one layer and pour in melted duck fat. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to very low and cook until meat actually pulls away from drumsticks. Allow confit to cool in its fat. Store, completely covered in fat, refrigerated, for up to 1 month before using.