Last week, Witcher Con took place. This was the first digital conference completely focused on announcing new things to come from the Witcher franchise. A lot of the focus was on the next season of Netflix’s Witcher television show. I really enjoyed the first season and I’m excited to check out the next one later this year. There wasn’t too much about a future mainline game but I’m sure we will see something eventually. I prefer that game companies take their time and not crunch to finish a game. The Witcher games are pretty dense games with a lot of content and they can be a bit overwhelming to get into. I found the openness of the world actually made it a little difficult for me to stay on track with the main story. I would either get lost in side quests, Gwent, or even just roaming around enjoying the sights. This is not a bad thing and I know at some point I will get through the whole story. I just appreciate that I can get the full story with the TV show.
The Witcher 3 is filled with lots of delicious recipes throughout the world. The tables are filled with many items to be enjoyed. The base game had a lot of options but the Blood and Wine expansion added a lot more. One of those additions is duck confit. I will use any excuse to cook more duck dishes and this addition being in the game is enough for me. Duck confit is actually a pretty easy dish to put together; it just takes a bit of time to set up. You can actually prepare a large amount of this and let the duck sit in the duck fat in the refrigerator until you need it. You can enjoy duck confit for a whole month!
4 duck legs
⅓ cup (50 g) salt
20 juniper berries, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp (2 g) sage
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 – 5 cups duck fat
black pepper
Combine the salt, juniper berries, bay leaves, sage, and garlic in a small bowl. Mix together and lightly crumble the bay leaves. Rub on the duck legs and place in a single layer on a baking dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 225°F (105°C). Wipe off the salt mixture from the duck and pat dry. Place the duck in a dutch oven, but do not stack them. Melt the duck fat and pour until it just covers the duck legs. Cover and bake until the duck is tender, about 3 hours.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest to room temperature. If not cooking that same day, place the duck in an airtight container and cover with duck fat. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
To serve, heat a skillet over medium heat. Place the duck skin side down and cook until the skin is crispy, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until it is warmed through, another 3 to 5 minutes.
Duck Confit
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs
- ⅓ cup 50 g salt
- 20 juniper berries smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp 2 g sage
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 2 – 5 cups duck fat
- black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the salt, juniper berries, bay leaves, sage, and garlic in a small bowl. Mix together and lightly crumble the bay leaves. Rub on the duck legs and place in a single layer on a baking dish. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, preheat oven to 225°F (105°C). Wipe off the salt mixture from the duck and pat dry. Place the duck in a dutch oven, but do not stack them. Melt the duck fat and pour until it just covers the duck legs. Cover and bake until the duck is tender, about 3 hours.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest to room temperature. If not cooking that same day, place the duck in an airtight container and cover with duck fat. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- To serve, heat a skillet over medium heat. Place the duck skin side down and cook until the skin is crispy, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until it is warmed through, another 3 to 5 minutes.