Duck Confit with Crispy Garlic Potatoes (the 45-Minute French Classic)
Confit de canard is the dish that convinces people French cooking is hard. It is not — the slow part was done in the South-West of France before the tin was sealed. Your job is twenty minutes of mostly-waiting: crisp the skin, roast potatoes in the duck fat from the tin, and get the table set.
What you need
- 1 tin Comtesse du Barry duck confit with Guérande salt (2 legs)
- 600 g small potatoes, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, skin on, crushed flat
- 2 sprigs rosemary (or thyme)
- Salad leaves and a sharp vinaigrette to serve
Method
- Heat the oven to 200 °C. Open the tin, lift out the legs and scrape the duck fat into a roasting tray.
- Toss the potatoes and garlic through the fat, season, and roast for 25 minutes.
- Nestle the duck legs skin-side up among the potatoes and roast another 20 minutes, until the skin crackles and the potatoes are deep gold.
- Rest five minutes. Serve with dressed leaves — the vinaigrette cuts the richness.
Make it a full Sud-Ouest evening: start with foie gras on toast, or skip straight to a one-pot cassoulet Languedocien when winter demands it.
