Rhubarb can be a little bit of a love/hate thing. It’s quite possible you were served green snot-looking, stewed rhubarb for school dinners if you’re in the hate team. I don’t blame you. That stuff still makes me shudder. But don’t rule out rhubarb forever. Delicately roasted, vibrantly pink rhubarb with a sprinkling of sugar is a whole different ball game. Serve up simply with a glug of thick cream, or maybe as part of a crumble (one of my grandad’s signature awesome puds) or serve it with something savoury. I find rhubarb works particularity well with rich meat such as pork belly or duck. And that’s what I’m doing today. Tangy, juicy rhubarb, served with this oh-s0-tender confit duck. The duck takes a little bit of prep. You need to start the night before with a quick sprinkling of seasoning and overnight refrigeration to draw out some of the liquid.
Then it’s cooked slowly……
before being cooled and chilled in duck fat (for the ultimate tenderness). The finally stage is to roast the duck legs, so you get a lovely crispy skin along with that tender, rich meat.
Most of the cooking is hands-off time. It’s only really the last 40 mins before you serve that you’ll be in the kitchen. Some recipes use extra fat to cook the duck in, but I don’t think it needs it. The duck is still tender and full of flavour. You should also be left with a good couple of tablespoons of duck fat - which is perfect to roast the crushed potatoes in. If you have any leftovers (the only way that’s happening in my house is to make extra!), the duck makes a tasty salad topping the next day. I also used the leftover rhubarb juice to make a simple salad dressing. If you love duck, try my roasted ducked with plum sriracha sauce. Here are some more rhubarb recipes too:
Rhubarb and marzipan muffins Rhubarb marshmallows Rhubarb and amaretti cake
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes! This recipe is already gluten free.
Can I make confit duck ahead?
Yes, in fact it really needs to be made ahead. If you want to make it more than the one day ahead described in the instructions, then at step 7, make sure the duck is completely submerged in fat, before being stored in a sealed, air-tight container in the refrigerater. It should keep for a few weeks (and likely a lot longer) that way.
Can I freeze confit duck?
Yes, freeze at step 8. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator before continuing with step 9.
The Duck Confit with Roasted Rhubarb Recipe:
This post was first published in March 2014. Updated in July 2018 with new photos, tips and updated instructions. Check out one of the old pics below: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
