With what to accompany the duck confit - The best pairings

When it comes to menu inspiration for your next dinner party, it can be hard to come up with new and exciting ideas. Perhaps you are thinking of making duck confit, a dish that will surely delight and impress your friends.

But how do you know what to accompany the duck confit?

The traditional accompaniments to duck confit are crispy potatoes, roasted in duck fat and garlic. If you want a lighter option, accompany your duck confit with a green salad and a full-bodied vinaigrette dressing.

If you are looking for innovative and interesting ideas for your next gourmet dinner, look no further! Here’s everything you need to know about what to serve with duck confit.

What is duck confit?

Duck confit, or confit de canard, is a classic French dish found in many Parisian bistros and rural French restaurants.

Duck is a very popular ingredient in French cuisine, and many argue that duck confit is the best way to prepare this rich and flavorful meat.

Duck confit consists of duck thighs that have been cooked very slowly in their own fat until the meat is soft, juicy and tender. The skin is left on the meat, and the meat is quickly seared over high heat just before serving.

Duck confit is best described as a more indulgent version of roasted chicken thighs. The deliciously crispy skin, on a layer of succulent and flavorful meat, is simply sublime.

The word “confit” actually means “preserved” . This is because duck meat was traditionally simmered in fat and stored for later consumption.

This method of preserving food is not commonly used today, but it is a great way to keep meat cooked, succulent, and flavorful.

Is it easy to make duck confit?

Cooking a dish like duck confit sounds pretty daunting for the hobby cook. What if you end up with dry, chewy meat and rubbery skin? Is it very difficult to make a good duck confit?

Well, it’s easier than you think. And there’s a very simple option at your disposal: you can buy canned pre-cooked duck thighs, kept in a layer of rich duck fat.

That way, come dinner time, all you have to do is crisp up the skin in the oven!

But if you want to make the entire dish from scratch, is it easy to make duck confit? It is a relatively simple dish to cook, but you have to plan a lot of cooking time.

To start, the duck is seasoned with an assortment of herbs, salt and pepper and left to cure overnight. This is a traditional part of the process, dating back to when duck confit was stored for several months to mature.

The curing is washed from the duck meat the next day, to avoid contaminating the duck fat with excessive amounts of salt.

The well-seasoned duck should then be slow roasted for up to 2 hours, covered in a layer of duck fat.

Although thighs are traditionally used in duck confit, breasts can also work well. If you have a whole duck, it’s best to cut it into portions before roasting.

Once the duck is roasted, you can let it cool down and even store it overnight. This can come in handy if you prepare it ahead of time for dinner the next day.

To serve the duck, you trim off most of the excess fat from the duck, and then you have to crisp up the skin. You can do this by roasting it in the oven for 15 minutes, or frying it in a pan until the skin is crisp and golden.

You are ready to serve your delicious duck confit, but what should you serve it with? Let’s find out!

What flavors go best with duck?

Duck meat has a strong, rich flavor and can be paired with some unusual and interesting accompaniments. Works great with sweet and sour foods: balsamic reductions, hoisin sauce, caramelized onions, and even fruity flavors.

Duck also works well with hot and spicy flavors. Its rich flavor holds up well to cinnamon, fennel, Chinese five spices, and other oriental pairings.

However, if you’re looking for something more subtle, you can’t go wrong with the old favourites! Pairing the duck with some simple potatoes and vegetables will allow the delicious flavor of this fabulous meat to shine through.

What to serve with the duck confit

You have many options for how to serve your confit de canard, and we are going to start with the traditional French accompaniments.

In a Parisian bistro, your confit de canard would traditionally be served with Pommes de Terre à la Sarladaise: slices of potatoes cooked in duck fat and garlic. A truly decadent dish.

To recreate it at home, you can serve the duck confit with crispy little potatoes, roasted in duck or goose fat.

If you are looking for a healthier option, simple boiled potatoes dressed with olive oil or butter also work well.

Another side dish enjoyed by the French is braised red cabbage with apples and red wine . The rich sweet and sour flavor of this side dish perfectly complements the dark and succulent duck meat.

If you are looking for a healthier dish to serve with the duck confit, a salad might work well. Choose a simple green salad, with dark, spicy leaves like arugula and mustard.

Dress with a powerful vinaigrette to cut the duck fat. You can serve the confit duck whole or shred the meat and skin and spread over the salad.

Duck confit can taste amazing with a rich, sweet sauce drizzled on top. Sauces made with dark fruits, such as plum, will perfectly complement the meat.

Or if you fancy something really different, try a dark chocolate and red wine sauce.

In the unlikely event that you have leftover crispy roast duck, what can you do with it?

This delicious and succulent meat works well in oriental dishes, and our favorite suggestion would be to crumble it into a stir-fry with vegetables and Hoisin sauce, served over noodles.

You can also make Chinese Duck Fried Rice or Cantonese Roast Duck Soup.

What drinks go well with duck confit?

Dinner is already settled, but what about the drinks?

If you’re serving poultry, most of us would automatically turn to white wine. However, duck meat has a rich, almost game flavor, and deserves to be paired with something more intense.

Most wine experts recommend serving the duck with a full-bodied, earthy red wine. Favorites are Pinot Noir, Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon.

If your guests prefer white wine, then you need something very robust to withstand the flavor of the meat. Opt for white wines made from grapes like Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.

And for those staying away from alcohol, a rich and fruity juice drink would work well. We suggest a dark blackberry juice, topped off with sparkling water to give it a bit of fizz.

Speaking of fizz, don’t rule out serving a glass of sparkling wine with your duck confit – sometimes such a special dish deserves to be celebrated.

Related questions

Now that we’ve reviewed what goes best with duck confit, let’s look at some related questions!

What can replace duck confit?

When it comes to a dish as traditional and unique as duck confit, there really are no real alternatives. However, you can modify the dish to suit your tastes and needs.

This dish works best with poultry, and you might consider swapping the duck for chicken or goose.

The flavor won’t be as intense, so adjust your garnishes accordingly. For a healthier cooking method, try using olive oil instead of duck fat.

For guests with specific dietary requirements, you need something that matches duck confit in richness and flavor.

Some vegetables, such as beets, aubergines, and parsnips, can be cooked using the same method as duck confit. A crispy stuffed bell pepper or zucchini could also be a great vegetarian or vegan alternative.

How long can duck confit be kept?

The idea behind duck confit is that it is a method of cooking duck in order to preserve it for a long period of time.

This process involves several steps, but is worth it if you have a large amount of duck to store. Also, the flavor of the duck improves over time, making it a technique worth trying.

The traditional method is to cure the raw duck portions overnight in a salty seasoning. This helps preserve the duck confit for longer. The next day the curing is washed and the meat is dried well, ready to be cooked.

The next step is to simmer the duck in its own fat until soft and tender. The cooked meat is then placed in a jar, along with a generous dollop of duck fat.

To do this, the fat is gently heated and poured over the duck meat, filling the air gaps and covering the meat.

Prepared in this way, the duck confit can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.