Duck Legs in Wine Sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Season the duck legs with the salt and black pepper.
2. 2
   Heat the wide pot over medium-high heat, without oil, and place the duck legs in it skin side down. When the skin browns, turn, brown the other side and remove to a plate.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Skin-on chicken browns without oil: the fat that melts from the skin fries it, and stays in the pot for the onion.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
3. 3
   Heat the olive oil in the wide pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot
4. 4
   Add the onion and fry, stirring, until the onion turns golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
6. 6
   Add the wine and cook 3 minutes, until the alcohol evaporates.

   Stove

   💡Reduce the wine before the tomatoes: the harsh alcohol evaporates, leaving the concentrated flavor of the wine.
7. 7
   Add the stock and thyme and bring to a boil.

   Stove
8. 8
   Return the duck legs to the pot and add the rosemary.
9. 9
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 75–90 minutes.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
10. 10
    Take the duck legs out of the pot, raise the heat and boil uncovered, until the sauce is thick and concentrated.

    Stove
11. 11
    Add the butter to the sauce and stir until it melts.

    Stove
12. 12
    Serve with mashed potatoes.