BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH POLENTA AND WILTED CHARD

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Braised Duck Legs With Polenta And Wilted Chard image

You can braise the duck on Saturday and crisp it Sunday, which pares down the day-of duties.

Provided by Chris Morocco

Categories     Bon Appétit     Duck     Braise     Chard     Cornmeal     Dinner     Entertaining     Winter     Wheat/Gluten-Free     Peanut Free     Tree Nut Free     Soy Free

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 26

For the duck:
4 pounds duck legs
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
12 sprigs thyme
10 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 teaspoons juniper berries
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
For the polenta:
1 1/2 cups milk
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup coarse-grind polenta
For the assembly:
1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 bunch large Swiss chard
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, crushed
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 lemon, halved
1 ounce Parmesan, finely grated (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Steps:

  • For the duck:
  • Prick duck skin all over with a paring knife or carving fork; season with salt and pepper. Place duck on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with thyme, garlic, bay leaves, and juniper berries, pressing aromatics onto legs to adhere. Let sit 30 minutes (or preferably do this the day before; cover and chill).
  • Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 225°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium and cook onion, carrots, and celery, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8-10 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, 6-8 minutes. Add 1 cup water and slip duck legs (including aromatics), skin side down, into liquid. Cover and braise in oven on lower rack until duck is submerged in its fat, 1 1/2-2 hours. Turn duck skin side up and cook, covered, until tender (the bones will wiggle easily in the joint), 1 1/2-2 hours longer.
  • Transfer duck to a deep baking dish; strain liquid into a large measuring glass or medium bowl. Skim fat into dish with duck; set aside braising juices. Chill duck, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days (cover and chill juices if chilling duck more than a couple of hours).
  • For the polenta:
  • While duck is chilling, preheat oven to 225°F. Bring milk and 2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper; slowly stream in polenta, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking often, until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Cover and transfer to lower rack in oven. Bake until polenta is thick and grains are soft, 20-30 minutes. Whisk to smooth out.
  • For the assembly:
  • While the polenta is in the oven, bring reserved braising juices to a boil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon, 15-20 minutes. Stir in vinegar; keep sauce warm.
  • Remove polenta from oven; keep warm. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Transfer duck legs, leaving fat behind, to a large rimmed baking sheet, placing skin side up. Roast on top rack until skin is crackling crisp, about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, remove ribs and stems from chard leaves by slicing away leaf from both sides of stalk. Slice stalk in half lengthwise; cut into 3"-long pieces. Tear leaves. Heat half of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook garlic, tossing, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add stems to skillet and cook, tossing, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with garlic.
  • Add remaining oil to skillet; add chard leaves a handful at a time, letting them wilt slightly before adding more, and cook, tossing, until chard is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in chard stems and garlic and transfer to a platter. Top with red pepper flakes and squeeze lemon over.
  • Whisk Parmesan and butter into polenta. Serve duck with polenta, wilted chard, and sauce alongside.

Jessica Webb
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I highly recommend this recipe.


Rana_ huzafa_020
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This dish is a must-try.


Alexandra Donoghue
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I'm definitely going to make this dish again.


Wang Li
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This is the best duck dish I've ever had.


Zykeal Turner
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I'm so glad I found this recipe.


Gloria Strasser
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This dish is perfect for a special occasion.


nwakaeze miracle
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I've never had polenta before, but I loved it.


Matovu Jimmy
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I love how easy this dish is to make.


mandla dile
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This is one of my favorite recipes.


Lilian Tenorio
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I'm not a huge fan of duck, but this dish was amazing.


Lilia Avina
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I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit.


Donal Teyvi
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The polenta was so creamy and the duck legs were fall-off-the-bone tender.


Daniel Hargrove
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Fantastic meal, highly recommend.


Abii Jima
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This was absolutely delicious!!


Kavidu Lakshan
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OMG this dish is incredible.