Slow-Cooked Duck Legs with Olives

Name: Slow-Cooked Duck Legs with Olives
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 duck legs; 5 or more garlic cloves; 1 cup olives, preferably a combination of green and black; Several fresh thyme sprigs; One 14-ounce can tomatoes with juice; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (optional); 1 carrot, roughly chopped (optional); 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped (optional); Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

December 20, 2011

Unless you’ve made your own duck confit, you may never have cooked duck legs by themselves; but in many ways they’re superior to both duck breasts and whole birds. They’re quite lean, and just a quick trimming of the excess fat is all that’s necessary. And, given proper cooking—that is, long, slow cooking—they become fork-tender and richly flavorful, reminiscent of some of the “lesser” cuts of beef and pork, like brisket and cheek. Finally, it’s easy enough to cook enough legs for eight—which is hardly the case with whole duck!

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