Wine Braised Duck Legs and Other Winter Comfort

Winter has definitely hit the Milwaukee area with temps in the single digits and below at night the past few days! I don't know about you, but I can't seem to wrap my head around a salads just yet.  All I wantis warm, simple, comfort food.  I haven't wanted to think much about new recipes. Slow roasted meat,roasted and browned poultry, and savory, filling soups are what we've been craving and eating.  I've been making lots of family favorites for the past three weeks.  There's been nothing new or exciting to share until I made these braised duck legs. 

Flavored with bay leaf, garlic and thyme, these are a great do-ahead dish for a special weekend meal. I'm lucky that my husband enjoys duck as much as I do and we are also fortunate to be able to buy individually frozen duck legs at a local store. 

The other thing I'm craving these days......flowers!  A little, colorful primula or cyclamen is all I need to make me smile and take my mind off the the snow and cold outside. 

It seems my mind has been in the clouds lately.  I haven't been able to concentrate much on cooking so maybe that's why I've been sticking to tried and true recipes.

Perhaps it is because we are awaiting the birth of our third grandson within the next few days!  It looks as though our daughter will need to have a C-Section since the little guy has decided the most comfortable position is sideways inside his mother.  By next Monday afternoon I should be a Nana once again!  If you don't hear from me for again for a while you'll know why.  Concentration issues :)

Wine Braised Duck Legs

Printable Recipe

6 large whole duck legs, trimmed of excess fat
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried or freshly chopped thyme
1 bay leaf, crumbled
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
8 fresh thyme sprigs
3 cups chicken or duck stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Combine salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons chopped thyme and crumbed bay leaf in a small bowl.

Season duck legs with with the seasoning mixture and place in a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pat duck legs with paper toweling to remove excess moisture.

In a heavy skillet, large enough to hold legs in one layer, cook legs, skin sides down, over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin is crisp and nicely browned, removing fat from skillet as it is rendered. Turn legs over and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Pour off fat from skillet and deglaze with wine, scraping up browned bits. Boil until the wine is reduced to a syrup and add the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Return duck legs, skin sides up, to skillet and add stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and braise, uncovered, in the oven for 1-1/4 hours, or until legs are very tender. Transfer legs to a baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to finish. The braising liquid can be strained, cooked and reduced to make a sauce. 

Bring duck legs to room temperature.

Preheat broiler.

Broil the duck legs 8 inches from the heat for 3 minutes, until the skin is browned. Serve with buttered noodles, roasted or mashed potatoes.