What to do with the Legs

Whenever you see duck breasts on a restaurant menu, search around and you’ll find out what clever dish the chef has invented for using the legs. Some places grill them, others turn them into confit; but the legs always show up somewhere. If you cook a lot of duck breasts, you, too, will be stuck with the legs. You can sauté them as you did the breasts, except that there’s no need to score the skin, but they’ll be tough. Cooking them until they’re well done softens them somewhat, so that you can cut the meat off the bone in thin slices and toss it in a salad, but the meat is still a bit tough. I’ve found that legs are best either turned into confit or gently braised. Since neither of these methods is worthwhile for just a couple of legs, I braise or make confit only if I’m making duck for a crowd or I’ve saved up at least a dozen legs in the freezer.