Confit de canard is the southwestern French duck leg slow-cooked in its own fat, the canonical Lauragais preserve preparation served with potatoes sarladaise.

Confit is a preserve technique central to southwestern French gastronomy since pre-refrigeration days, when farmers preserved fattened ducks in their own fat for the winter. The Confrerie du Cassoulet of Toulouse requires confit duck as a defining cassoulet ingredient. Today most southwest restaurants either confit in-house or buy from Gers producers.

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Make it at home

Serves 48 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 4 duck legs with skin
  • 60g sea salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 kg duck or goose fat (enough to cover)
  • Black peppercorns

Method

  1. Rub the duck legs generously with salt, garlic and thyme. Refrigerate 24 hours, then rinse and pat dry.
  2. Preheat oven to 120C.
  3. Melt the duck fat in a heavy ovenproof pan. Add the duck legs, they should be fully submerged.
  4. Cook in the oven at 120C for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
  5. Let cool in the fat. The confit keeps refrigerated for up to 6 weeks in the fat.
  6. To serve, lift a leg from the fat. Crisp the skin in a hot pan, 3 minutes skin-side down.
  7. Serve with potatoes sarladaise (potatoes cooked in the confit fat with garlic and parsley).

Editor tip. The duck legs must be fully submerged in fat. If short, top with rendered pork lard. The confit improves after a week in the fat.