Duck Confit - Day 1

Friday night Nicole and her mom (my second mom!) are coming over for "Christmas" dinner at our house.  True to form, Ben and I are taking the opportunity to cook up a feast because that's what we LOVE to do.  But the cooking begins today.

Since our protein for the meal will be duck confit, we've decided that to maximize the flavor we want it to sit for at least two days before serving.  That means I actually have to poach the duck tomorrow so I had to cure the duck tonight.  So consider this an entry in installments - Installment One - The Curing Process for Duck Confit - (a.k.a. - the easiest part!).

Ingredients

3 tablespoons salt
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
6 sprigs thyme
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 duck legs with thighs (the leg bone should be left in, the thigh bone should be removed*)

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish large enough to contain the duck legs in a single layer. Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots, and thyme in the dish. Arrange the duck, skin-side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle with the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 24 hours.

When it's ready for the refrigerator it looks like this...

*I have to plug The Organic Butcher of McLean.   They were the only shop in the area that a) carried duck, b) was willing to de-bone the thighs for me (de-boning a duck is hard and intimidates the hell out of me, I don't even like de-boning chicken) and c) carried and sold duck fat so that I could make true confit instead of having to poach the duck in olive oil.  Hooray!

Coming Soon - Installment Two - Poaching the Duck