How to make
Crush the bay leaves and lightly crush the black pepper grains. Rub the duck legs with them and the salt and thyme. Leave them in the fridge overnight.
Place the duck legs, which are already soaked in the aroma of the spices, in a deep dish suitable for the oven and cover them with butter, which has been previously melted over a slow fire. It should cover them. Roast for about an hour at 360°F (180°C), then reduce to 280°F (140°C) for another two and a half hours.
You will see that the meat is starting to separate slightly from the bone and the skin has almost melted. Using this technology, the duck legs become incredibly tender and tasty, as well as suitable for preservation for up to 4-5 months in jars or the refrigerator.
In this case, prepare only two portions, which will be for direct consumption, but if you make a larger quantity, by increasing the products, the storage conditions are the following:
Strain the duck fat out of the roasting to remove the spices and possible bits of meat. Put a few ladles in a glass container and refrigerate it, until it hardens, this is important, so that the meat does not touch the container, but is completely surrounded by the fat.
Lay the duck legs skin side down and cover them with the remaining fat. Close them tightly and refrigerate them. This way, the meat lasts 4-5 months and you can take it out and cook them at any moment, whenever you feel like it, by experimenting with different sauces.
We're going to cook these duck legs with orange sauce, since that's the most popular and appropriate combination for duck meat, at least in my opinion.
For our sauce, squeeze the three oranges and with a sharp knife cut the orange part of the peel of one of them (in thin strips, pieces or as you like).
Chop the onion very finely and fry it with a pinch of salt in heated fat over medium to low heat for about 8-10 minutes, until it softens and starts to brown slightly.
Pour the brown sugar and stir briefly, then add the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes, by stirring constantly and pour most of the orange juice. The sauce will thicken almost immediately, so add about 2/5 cup (100 ml) of water to thin it out. Adjust the thickness to your taste. Add a little more salt for contrast and rosemary for flavor.
Place the confit duck legs in an oven heated to 390°F (200°C) with a little bit of duck fat and cover them with the remaining orange juice. Arrange the cut orange peels on top of them. Roast them for about 10-15 minutes, until they aquire a caramel brown color.
Serve them with the sauce.
Enjoy your meal!
