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Duck Confit With Spicy Pickled Raisins

Image may contain Dish Food Meal and Roast
Marcus Nilsson

The best part of making this duck confit recipe? All the rich fat you’re left with. Use it to roast potatoes­—it’s an easy way to upgrade a classic. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away (it freezes well).

Ingredients

8 Servings

8

skin-on, bone-in duck legs

4

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more freshly cracked

2

tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

9

sprigs thyme, divided

6

dried chiles de árbol, crushed, or 1 ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, divided

½

cup white wine vinegar

¼

cup sugar

2

teaspoons brown mustard seeds

1

sprig rosemary

cups golden raisins

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using the tip of a knife or the sharp tines of a carving fork, prick duck leg skin all over. Rub with garlic (slices should stick to skin) and season with 1 tsp. ground pepper and 2 Tbsp. salt.

    Step 2

    Preheat oven to 250°. Arrange duck, skin side down, in a roasting pan or large Dutch oven and add 8 thyme sprigs, 4 chiles (or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes), and ½ cup water. Cover pan with foil or lid and cook until fat is rendered (don’t be surprised: there will be lots), about 2 hours. Turn duck skin side up and nestle it into rendered fat. Cover pan and continue to cook until meat is very tender and bones easily wiggle when pulled, 2–2½ hours longer.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, bring vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, rosemary sprig, remaining thyme sprig, 2 chiles (or ½ tsp. red pepper flakes), 1 tsp. salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Mix in raisins, remove from heat, and let cool at least 1 hour.

    Step 4

    Increase oven temperature to 400°. Remove duck from fat and place, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet; reserve fat for another use (it will keep 3 weeks in refrigerator or 3 months in freezer; reheat and strain before using). Season duck with cracked pepper and roast until skin is brown and crisp, 30–35 minutes. Serve duck with pickled raisins.

    Step 5

    Do Ahead: Raisins can be pickled 1 week ahead. Cover and chill; bring to room temperature before serving. Duck can be cooked 1 week ahead. Pack duck in fat in an airtight container and chill.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 330 Fat (g) 11 Saturated Fat (g) 3 Cholesterol (mg) 105 Carbohydrates (g) 31 Dietary Fiber (g) 2 Total Sugars (g) 26 Protein (g) 26 Sodium (mg) 350
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  • ITS LOVEY🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤗🤗🤗🤗😌😌😌🤯🤯🤯🤯😳😳😳😳🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤😹😹😹😹🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻

    • Karen

    • walmart

    • 6/9/2021

  • AMAZING - best Christmas dinner we have ever had. Unbelievably easy. The pickled raisins are delicious, this is the perfect combination of sweet, salty & sour with the fattiness of duck. This is so simple, plates beautifully. Definitely a show off meal to repeat!

    • Sarah

    • San Diego CA

    • 12/26/2020

  • This is the best thing I've ever made. My husband and I were both OVER eating and cooking at home and this recipe literally revitalized our lives and love for home cooking. This is something I never could have imagined on my own, but the pairings are perfect. If you're on the fence about the pickled raisins-they are little beads of gold. You will not be disappointed and it is surprisingly easy!

    • Anonymous

    • Chicago, IL

    • 12/1/2020

  • You do not know what you are missing unless you try this.

    • Ron Mc

    • Chicago

    • 10/17/2019

  • At least not like this... Sorry raisin lovers, but I give pickled raisins the Snoopy kissed Lucy response, "Eck, blech, poison dog lips!" Duck Confit, oh yeah, but with another accompaniment please!

    • Anonymous

    • Central PA

    • 3/1/2019

  • i'd LOVE to make this. am opposed to skimming fat in general, on principle. but but but ... duck legs are NOT cheap! however, neither is duck fat, and i keep lots of fats in my fridge. so there's payback for cooking with duck! i usually love the garlic/ginger/chili combo, but i think i'll leave the ginger and chilies out and just do a traditional confit. thyme? and what about the crushed coriander seeds, if i leave the ginger/chilies out? does it still work, or do i need to sub something to complement the more traditional version i'm going to make? i prefer to keep the spice in the pickled raisins and let the duck be less aggressive. imagine the leftovers in a Lo Mein or Fried Rice or a Taco or ... whatever! and those raisins sound totally delish, too! thanks for another keeper, BA! p.s. Carla, i dreamed about the Falafel-Spiced Tomatoes with Chickpeas, Yogurt, and Herbs on homemade flatbread last night. god, how i ADORE that recipe!

    • hollis5

    • Vero Beach, FL

    • 3/1/2019

  • Will absolutely make this again—super impressive dinner party main and a lot cheaper than big ol' steaks. After you throw everything in a Dutch oven, it's mostly hands off for 4 hours. Then you get a quart of duck fat to save and freeze and cook everything your heart desires with afterwards. Subbed yellow mustard seeds for brown because that's what I had. Pickled raisins are so weird and unexpected but necessary sweet/acid to cut the fattiness of duck.

    • alexbeggs

    • BonAppétit.com

    • 12/10/2017