recipe
Crispy-skinned duck legs with chestnuts, baked pear and potatoes boulangère
Autumn brings its own bounty of fruit and vegetables to my world. Living in the cooler parts of Victoria, we are blessed with an abundance of apples, quinces and pears at this time of year. I have always found that these fruits – with their mix of sweetness, acidity and a texture that is delicious when cooked – work brilliantly with duck.
Braising duck legs is an easy way to enjoy duck without the hassle of trying to cook breasts to the perfect degree of doneness. But be warned, cooking duck at home can sometimes lead to a bit of fat splattering around your kitchen – it’s a messy bird to cook.
The secret to these braised legs is in the preparation. It is best to cook and colour the legs in a pan before they go into the oven. This does two important things: first, it colours the skin, but, more importantly, the process means you render a lot of the fat from the skin before you place the legs in the oven. If you are doing the legs in two batches, make sure you pour out the excess fat before placing the second lot of legs in the pan. I always pour mine into a heat-resistant bowl, as it can get quite hot and could melt plastic, and keep this fat for roasting potatoes on another day. It will keep for weeks in the fridge.
Another thing to note is that this is a dish that can be prepared well in advance, and, in fact, is better if it is. The refrigeration of the cooking juices allows you to remove any last traces of fat to give you a much more “restaurant quality” result. Please note that the potatoes are best done on the day and only cooked once.
Time: 75 minutes preparation + 120 minutes cooking
Serves 8
- Duck legs
- 8 duck legs
- salt and pepper, to season
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 300ml apple cider
- 1 tbsp calvados
- 300ml duck or poultry stock
- 1 sprig thyme, leaves only
- 8 roasted chestnuts, available from specialty grocers
- Preheat your oven to 160ºC.
- Season the duck legs with salt and pepper.
- In a heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat and brown the duck legs well on all sides (this will take about four to five minutes). Remove and set aside in a baking tray in which the legs fit snugly in a single layer.
- Deglaze the pan with apple cider and calvados. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then pour the pan juices over the duck legs and sprinkle with the thyme leaves.
- Cover the baking tray with foil and braise covered for 1½ hours or until the duck legs are tender. Check occasionally to make sure the liquid has not evaporated too much.
- When cooked, remove from the oven and cool. Carefully take the legs from the stock and place skin-side up on a tray.
- Refrigerate the legs, strain the stock and refrigerate that too. When the stock is cold, remove and discard the surface layer of fat, place in a saucepan and reduce by half over medium heat.
- To serve, heat the duck legs in a 180-190ºC oven to crisp up the skin and the pears. The legs will take 10-15 minutes to heat through.
- Place the stock in a pan over medium heat, add the chestnuts whole and reduce to sauce consistency. Serve the duck and the potatoes (recipe below) dressed in the chestnut sauce.
Baked pear
- 2 pears
- 40g butter
- pinch brown sugar
- pinch salt
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC.
- Peel and cut the pears into quarters.
- Melt the butter, toss the pear quarters in the butter with a good pinch of brown sugar and salt. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and roast until just cooked. Reheat with the duck legs.
Potatoes boulangère
- butter, for greasing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- salt and pepper, to season
- 800g potatoes, finely sliced
- 150ml chicken stock
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC.
- Butter a shallow baking dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on the stove and add the onion and thyme. Cook over a slow to medium heat until the onion is soft and golden (about 20 minutes). Season with a little salt and pepper.
- In the buttered baking dish, place a layer of sliced potato and then add a scattering of the cooked onion and season. Repeat until all the vegetables are used, finishing with a layer of potato.
- Pour in the stock and cover with a sheet of foil or greaseproof paper, sealing around the edges. Bake for 45 minutes, remove the foil and return to the top of the oven for 15 minutes until the top layer of potatoes is golden. Serve with the duck.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on April 26, 2025 as "Leg power".
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