This recipe for Duck Confit with Roast Sweet Potato Mash is a winner. The first time I tried duck confit was about four months ago. It was my birthday, and my husband took me out to La Grande Boucherie, a new French restaurant in Manhattan. I decided to get out of my comfort zone in light of the special occasion. So I ordered escargot for my starter and duck confit for my main. I loved them both!
The Inspiration Behind This Duck Confit
As I was wrapping up Chapter II of Marcus Samuelsson’s The Rise, a recipe for Smoked Duck with Sorghum-Glazed Alliums caught my eye. Inspired by Nigerian-American recipe developer Yewande Komolafe, the dish consisted of duck legs braised in their own fat. I was excited to try my own hand at the duck confit that I had enjoyed at the restaurant.
Making duck confit was surprisingly simpler than I thought. After pan searing coriander crusted duck legs, I covered them and put them in a 300 degree oven for three hours. Talk about tender! The duck was so flavorful and paired perfectly with a honey balsamic glaze (inspired by The Splendid Table) and roast sweet potato mash.
The idea of the sweet potato mash came from my experience cooking from Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day. The recipe for purple yam puree was so simple but tasty, and I thought the creaminess would balance out the heavy duck. It definitely did. I decided to put my own spin on it by roasting the sweet potatoes for a deeper flavor. I highly recommend giving this Duck Confit with Roast Sweet Potato Mash a try!
Honey Balsamic-Glazed Duck Confit with Roast Sweet Potato Mash
Braised duck legs with mashed sweet potato.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Duck Confit
- 3 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 3 pounds of duck legs, about 4 pieces
- 25 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 cup of low-sodium chicken stock
Roast Sweet Potato Mash
- 2 sweet potatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 sprig of thyme
Honey Balsamic Glaze
- 1 tsp reserved duck fat
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Use a knife to make slits in the duck legs through the fat.
- Mix two tablespoons of ground coriander with a tablespoon of kosher salt. Rub the mixture on the duck legs and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the legs to the pan skin side down. Cook for about ten minutes and flip the legs. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme to the pan. Cook for one minute, spooning the melted fat over the duck legs.
- Add the chicken stock and cover the cast iron skillet with foil or a lid. Transfer the pan to the oven.
- After 1 1/2 hours, flip the duck legs and baste them with the braising liquid. Cook them for another 1 1/2 hours.
- Meanwhile, place the diced sweet potatoes on a sheet pan covered with foil. Add the oil, ginger, brown sugar, salt and black pepper. Toss the sweet potatoes to coat and put them in the oven with the duck. Roast the sweet potatoes until fork tender. Remove from oven.
- Once the sweet potatoes have cooled, put them in the food processor with heavy cream and butter. Blend until smooth, and garnish with thyme and black pepper.
- Once the duck legs have been braising for 3 hours, remove them from the fat. Allow them to cool slightly while heating the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the duck legs on a foil lined sheet pan. Roast them for about 15 minutes, making sure the skin is deep brown and crispy.
- Meanwhile, make the honey balsamic glaze. Heat the reserved duck fat over medium heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Cook the vinegar down for about two minutes, until it has thickened. Stir in the honey, broth, butter, and pepper. Remove from heat.
Keywords: Poultry, gourmet, Sunday dinner
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This would be a perfect recipe to try for my sister! I am never been huge on duck, but she truly loves it! I think though I would try the sweet potato mash for sure, thanks for sharing x
I am glad that there are parts of the recipe that both of you would like! Thank you for reading 🙂
I can smell the deliciousness from here! 25 cloves of garlic sounds fantastic. I love balsamic glazes, I make one with apricot jam that’s a big hit with my family. I’m going to check out your plantain recipe right now, too. Thanks so much.
Yes, the 25 cloves sounds like a lot, but I think it is just right! The smells were divine. I will have to try an apricot balsamic glaze, that sounds delicious. Sweet, but with a unique citrus flavor. Thank you for sharing!
Not a fan of duck. Was never apart of my food culture. But your recipe and presentation looks enticing and your meal looks delicious ?
Haha I am glad to have made duck a bit more appealing to you! Thank you so much 🙂
Yum! That looks amazing. I did a whole roasted duck last summer and it was divine! My first time cooking duck. I’ll have to try your way. Thanks for sharing! x
Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Right? I cooked duck for the first time last year and realized how much I had been missing out! It is just so full of flavor on its own. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
I love duck. Looking forward to trying out the recipe.
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
What an appetizing dish! Looks so delicious and easy to make. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much!!
I used to eat a lot of duck haven’t had it in such a long time.
Hopefully you come back to the duck eating side! Haha I only recently started eating duck and I am HOOKED!
Ooooh I love the sound of that glaze! This looks restaurant-worthy for sure!
That is such a compliment! Thank you so much.
This has left me drooling. Sounds so delectable and tasty. Great photos.
Aww thank you kindly!
W O W !!!!! This recipe is incredibly delicious and juicy. I’m a huge fan of duck and can’t wait to try cooking it. Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much! Making this has only increased my love of duck. Hope you enjoy!