Recipe - Duck Confit with Crispy Potatoes & Witlof, Spinach & Apple Salad

I absolutely love French food, it's just so rich, full of flavour and character. One of my favourite dishes is the duck confit, duck maryland cooked in duck fat. However, this recipe requires a lot of time and effort, the duck itself needs at least 2 days of prep before serving but the end result is so worth it.

Serves 2

You'll need:


Duck Confit
2 duck marylands  
 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed  
1/2 bunch of fresh thyme, coarsely chopped  
50g sea salt  
2 200g can duck fat
1/4 cup water  
1/2kg kipler potatoes

Salad
1 Witlof, leaves separated
1 handful baby spinach
1 small pink lady apple, sliced & tossed in lemon juice
50g rindless bacon, sliced into 2cm pieces
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard


Method:

1. Rinse the duck marylands with cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Combine salt, thyme and garlic, layer half the salt mixture on the bottom of an airtight container. Place duck on the salt and sprinkle the rest of the salt onto the duck. Cover and place it in the fridge for 6-8 hours, any longer the duck will be too salty.

2. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees. Remove the duck from the salt and rinse with water and dry with paper towel. Place the duck fat and water in a over proof and flame proof tray, preferably one that comes with a lid. 

3. Heat the fat until it starts to bubble and submerge the duck in the fat, make sure that the fat covers all of the duck. Layer with baking paper and then the lid, if you don't have a lid use foil instead.  

4. Bake the duck for 2 hours, when the flesh from the leg has pulled away exposing the bone then it is ready. Let the duck cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, place them in a saucepan with boiling water for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cut them lengthways. Place potatoes on a baking tray, season with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of duck fat from the confit pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.

6. Remove duck from the oven and wipe away excess fat but careful not to break the skin, place on tray and grill for 3 minutes or until the skin is crispy and shiny.

7. For salad, place witlof, spinach and apples in a bowl. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the bacon until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon onto paper towels to remove excess oil.

8. Add remaining oil, vinegar and mustard into the pan where you cooked your bacon, whisk until it all comes together. Add bacon to the dressing and drizzle over the salad, toss to combine.

9. Serve immediately with the duck and potatoes.