I love leeks. They are something of a pain to grow because they require almost a full year in the ground and need to have dirt hilled up around them so their shanks are long, and white instead of green.
But it’s worth it. A leek’s flavor is more refined than that of onions, and, sliced into delicate ribbons, offers an entirely different experience than onions or shallots. Use the longest-shanked leeks you can find for this recipe; they need not be overly fat.
Duck legs, especially wild duck or wild goose legs, can be pretty tough compared to those of a domestic duck or goose. After all, wild birds work for a living. So while I will often roast ducks whole, I will also do a lot of braised duck legs, which will tenderize the meat.
And if you are as persnickety as I am and use the wings of your birds, you absolutely, positively need to braise duck and goose wings, which are always tough.
No matter if you are a hunter or if you are just buying domestic duck, do yourself a favor and cut up your ducks before you freeze them (click for instructions on how to break down a duck or goose). This way you will have lots of legs and wings to play with without having to defrost lots of birds.
And besides, if you have whole birds you are breaking down, you can use the breasts for quick recipes, the legs and wings for recipes like this one, and save the carcasses for stock.
I developed this recipe for braised duck legs in a kind of Alsatian-French-Belgian-German way, although it would not be out of place in the Alpine regions of Italy or Austria.
Basically you brown the duck or goose legs well in duck fat, then saute the leeks and some reconstituted dried mushrooms in that fat, then make a nest with the leeks. The legs go on top of the “nest” and you braise everything until the meat wants to fall off the bone.
Done properly, this recipe results in meltingly tender meat with a crispy skin on top. The key here is to never let the braising liquid get higher than the skin on the duck legs. That’s why there is no exact amount of stock listed in the recipe; you will need at least 1/2 cup, but possibly a lot more depending on your pot.
Braised Duck Legs with Leeks
Ingredients
- A small handful of dried mushrooms, broken into pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 pounds duck or goose legs
- Salt
- 4 leeks, sliced thinly (use only the shanks - light green is OK, dark green is not)
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons caraway seed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1-2 shots of Cognac or Armagnac
- Duck stock (use chicken stock if you don't have any)
- Some good quality balsamic vinegar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Get your tap water as hot as it will go and fill a small bowl with the hot water. Add the dried mushrooms, cover the bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Salt duck legs and let them sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Heat the butter in a Dutch oven, brazier or a deep, oven-proof frying pan with a lid. Brown the duck or goose legs over medium-high heat. Take your time and get a good browning here. Once the legs are done, remove and set aside.
- While the duck legs are browning, remove the mushrooms from the soaking water and squeeze them dry. Chop finely. Pour the mushroom water through a paper towel into a bowl -- this filters out any dirt or debris. Save the mushroom water.
- Add the sliced leeks to the pan, which should now have lots of duck fat in it. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook over medium heat until you get a little color; you don't want anything charred. Add the bay leaves, thyme, caraway and a little salt.
- Add the brandy. You can flame it if you'd like, or just cook it down by half. Once it is reduced, nestle the duck legs on top of the bed of leeks, skin side up. Pour in the stock (HINT: Heat it first so it does not drop the temperature in the braising pan.) up to the level of the meat, but do not cover the skin sides of the legs. Cover the pan and cook it in the over for at least an hour, or until the meat yields when pierced with a sharp knife. This could take up to 2-3 hours for very old, wild geese.
- Once the meat is tender, uncover the pot and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the skin of the ducks is crispy.
- To serve, lay down mashed potatoes or polenta fairly flat on the plate, then add the braised leeks in the center. Adorn with two or three duck legs and sprinkle a little balsamic vinegar over it. Serve at once.
What temp do you cook it in the oven at?
JOnathan: As it says in Step One, 325F.
i have NEVER cooked a duck before, this being my first season of duck hunting, and gave this recipe first dibs. wow. it came out friggin perfect. im floored right now. the dogs were freaking out in the kitchen as i slurped down 10 legs from 2 sprig, 2 teal, and a widgeon. i didnt even sit down, just grinded them over the sink. actually, i followed your pan-sear recipe for the breast meat first. dude. it was so good, i couldnt believe it. ive been trying duck in local restaurants lately to get some inspiration (its popular for sure now) a couple of weeks ago we ate at Francis in SF (in Noe Valley) where i had the Sonoma Duck Breast (at $30+) and this was way better. Try the Duck Carnitas at Padrecito in Upper haight – good, but they drown it in this creme sauce – why?? but back to the legs, im with you hank, i think they were better than the breasts and the versatility is crazy. thanks again hank for the website and book. super stoked right now bc next is to share with all my friends and make a mega duck night. gunna be epic!!
Made the braised duck with leeks for dinner tonight. Also threw in a skinless duck breast. My wife said it was the best duck she ever had. Easy and very good. Thanks.
Made this recipe last sans mushrooms and it was beyond good. Really.
Thanks for the great recipe!
The leek/mushrooms combination is simply fantastic. Couldn’t nail the oven time to get the meat right though(and I used geese legs too). But it still tasted delicious.
duck legs with wild mushrooms and leak……lovely, What do you suggest i do with the mushroom liquid.
Hi Hank –
Love your site. Question: why roast a duck whole vs coodkign brast and legs separately and differently?
I’ve been hunting and cooking ducks and geese for many years. I used to dislike them and actually stopped hunting them because the ol family recipe of whole-roasting duck was impossibly tricky to get right. You say it yourself…. legs are great but need to be cooked low and slow. Exactly! And of course breasts need to be rare. So why would you ever cook a duck whole? If the breast is cooked perfectly, the legs are too tough. Conversely, if the legs are cooked perfectly the breast will be overdone.
PS – going for the gizzard recipy for the 1st time 🙂
Love this recipe. I broke down a whole duck for the first time, and braised the legs for a pasta recipe I came up with cherries that are just coming into season. I like the sweetness they added. I braised with cocoa, for bitterness. When I want to do something more savory, I’ll definitely try this recipe.
I just made this for christmas eve dinner. I made a couple changes. I used 4 kinds of mushrooms, morels, chanterelles, trumpet, and the porcini. I had 4 goose legs, and made my own goose stock. It was a two day process, but it was unbelievable. Thanks
Larry
Hi Hank would it be ok to use onion instead of leeks?
Marshall: Yeah, technically you can overcook it, but it would take hours and hours. I’ve let this cook for 4 hours before and it was fine.
Hey Hank,
Is it possible to overdo this? I mean, can I over cook the braise? I have a leg bag and need to get that cooked up (along with my “tail” bag for fat).
River Mud: You made my day with that note! Glad to be of help, if even from afar…
Sippitysup: Well, welcome then! Hope you like it here.
Amelia: I like the caramelized fennel idea!
exquisite. I can also see it accompanied by caramelized shallots (or cipolline) and/or fennel.
I can’t believe I have never come upon this site until today! I feel like there was a back door to the hottest club in town and I have been standing out front waiting for the door to open. Thanks GREG
Hank,
You and Holly would have been proud. I shot a mallard the other week. I was really short on time, and these days we just don’t have a lot of time to cook. So….I was going to breast it out. As I got into it, I was surprised at (compared to many, many other ducks I’ve killed) how fat the legs were. Must have been a resident bird or something.
With your wind beneath my wings (does that sound gay?), I thought, “Huh, maybe I can vac seal the legs too?” Then I thought, “I don’t even know how to cook a damn duck leg.” Then I thought, “I’m sure there’s something on HAGC I can use. And while it’s true that I used limb pruners to cut off the feet, I did get the legs off at the hip and vac sealed safely away for a recipe just like this one.
Thanks for the source of confidence!
Sarah: I have lots of duck and goose breast recipes here: https://honest-food.net/wild-game/goose-recipes/breasts/
Emily: No, there is no prohibition about cooking the whole duck this way, but I prefer to cook duck and goose breasts more like steak, i.e., medium-rare over high heat.
And thanks for the tip on leeks!
this looks wonderful. I don’t yet understand the cooking of duck. is there any reason one could not cook the entire duck with this way? also, fyi, you can get homegrown leeks a bit quicker by taking harvested leeks and cutting the bulb about 3/4″ to 1″ above the root and planting that. of course you’ll still have to blanch them by mounding up!
I just used my confit of duck leg yesterday for cassoulet. The breasts seem quite tough and I would like to find some interesting recipes for them – so they will be more tender.