Crispy Braised Duck Legs

chia's Note:

from today's ny times, courtesy of mark bittman

• Total Time: 1 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 duck legs , trimmed of excess fat
• 1 large onion 8ounces carrot
• 3 celery ribs
• salt and fresh black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock , preferably homemade

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put duck legs skin side down in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably. Turn heat to medium, and cook, rotating so skin browns thoroughly and evenly but do not turn over completely. Meanwhile, peel onion and carrots, trim celery and roughly chop them all.
2. When skins are nicely browned, turn and sear the meat side just 1 to 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate; remove all fat from pan except enough to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Return duck legs skin side up to pan, and add stock; it should come about halfway up the legs but not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to boil and transfer to oven.
4. Cook 30 minutes, and turn heat to 350 degrees. Cook undisturbed until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least 30 minutes or a bit longer. Serve immediately, or let rest in a 200-degree oven for up to an hour.

Reviews

[Aim Two Peas]

This recipe was great! I added two large cloves of minced garlic and a fresh thyme from the garden. I also used veggie broth having plenty of liquid to serve over my wild rice. The carrots came from the garden which added to my husbands delight. The duck was tender and juciy, while crisp on top. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks for helping us clean out the freezer.

[duonyte]

I, too, found that the skin did not turn as crispy as I would have thought. But, this is an easy and tasty preparation. Also, the leftovers heated up beautifully. I found I had to add quite a bit more stock to have any sauce at all, so you will want to watch that.

[Panda Rose]

This was delicious. I had some very garlicky duck stock left over from another recipe, added some fresh thyme and it worked very well. Very moist and tender. Be careful not to overcook though.