This is one of those leave em’ and love em’ meals. For all the ease of the express-style food, there is something to be said for simply stashing something in the oven for an hour or two when stuck in too-tired-to-cook mode. True, one needs a little patience, which might make this more of a lazy weekend dinner than the answer to your everyday exhaustion issues. You don’t need to serve much alongside, perhaps no more than a fennel salad dressed with a spritz or two of orange juice and a squeeze of lime, or some bitter green salad leaves. When you’re in a hurry, a duck breast can seem like the solution, but the leg, cheaper yet richer, is more of a treat for those who like to eat. Of course, it’s fattier than the appropriately named leaner magret: that’s what makes the leg taste better. And please – enough with the supposed health concerns. I mean: it’s not as though the obesity-epidemic was caused by the overconsumption of duck legs. Besides, as the late great James Beard sniffily wrote “A gourmet” – and that’s him, not me, I’m just greedy – “who looks at calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.”
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 duck legs
- 2 baking potatoes or 1 pound other large white-skinned potatoes
- Few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- On the stove, heat a small roasting pan (I use one like a slightly oversized tarte tatin pan) and sear the duck legs, skin-side down over medium heat until the skin turns golden and gives out some oil.
- Turn the legs over, and take the pan off the heat while you cut the potatoes into 1-inch slices across, then cut each slice into 4. Arrange these potato pieces around the duck legs, then let a few sprigs of thyme fall over the duck and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper, before putting into the preheated oven.
- Cook for two hours, occasionally turning the potatoes, for optimal outcome, which is tender duck legs and crispy potatoes, though both will be ready to eat after 1 1/2 hours.
- Making leftovers right: If you have even a small amount of meat left, you could bag and mark it up and store it in the freezer for up to two months for future use. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 2 servings |
| Calories | 1112 |
| Total Fat | 89 g |
| Saturated Fat | 30 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Cholesterol | 172 mg |
| Sodium | 1102 mg |
Reviews
Amazing- very flavorful and easy to prepare! We’re off cabs so i substituted roast vegetables instead- so so good!
Roasting small pieces of potato at 400 F for 2 hours? I saw a potential problem and cut the potatoes larger (and added oil to the recipe) – however – the high temperature and time still made both the potatoes and the duck black, tasteless (unless you like charcoal) and dry. An easier recipe: just throw the potatoes and duck in the garbage and save yourself time and money? Or more practically – try a method that doesn’t shout at you from the start that it is going to be overcooked and nasty. Duck can be divine – this recipe is not!
1 hour at 400 led to fully cooked duck.
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Came out great my duck did not need to cook as long in the over. I slightly over cooked it but the potion duck fat delicious
As echoed by several other reviewers here, 2 hours at 400 is excessive by at least 30 mins. Dish is awesome, method as prescribed here is not, hence the 3 stars. 1hr 20min max if running at 400.
I cook them in my convection toaster oven. 1.5 hours was more than enough time esp with convection. Going for 1 hour next time. Still very crispy all over. Paired it with roasted Brussels sprouts and I cooked the potatoes on stove in the some of the duck fat from searing…Then finished in the oven. Also made a cherry wine sauce to go with.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/roasted-duck-legs-and-potatoes-recipe.html?oc=linkback
While the duck skin was crispy, the meat was dry and tasteless. And though I turned the potatoes every 15 minutes, they ended up stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan. We are big fans of duck dishes, but unfortunately not this one.
So yummy! Only 1 hour roasting at 400 is needed. Score skin and season appropriately first. I roasted with red potatoes and carrots also seasoned with rosemary. I threw them in with the duck about 10 minutes into cook time. Everything came out crispy and delicious – but only 1 hour!
Very tasty though 1 1/2 was more than enough for crispy well cooked duck legs and wonderful potatoes. As my husband loves mushrooms threw some in after 1 1/4 so they weren’t over cooked. Lovely meal and plenty for two. Maria
I used purple potatoes with this recipe and it turned out amazing, the potatoes had a nice crisp maple flavor to them and the duck was amazing. It just fell apart. I did score the skin before pan frying to let the fat render out and I french-ed the drum stick. I also threw the wings in and they turned out great, will definitely be cooking this again, it was a nice easy all in one pan meal.