Duck with Lentils

Ingredients

• 6 duck legs
• 40 g coarse-grained salt
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 kg duck fat (or duck grease)
• 250 g Puy lentils
• 1 onion
• 1 large carrot
• 2 Celery stalks
• 30 g duck fat
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1 herb bundle (with a bay leaf, a thyme sprig and a parsley stem)
• 600 ml chicken broth
• 1 pack frozen spinach

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rub the salt and pepper into the duck legs and place them in a sealable container. Add thyme, break bay leaves into pieces and add them too. Seal well and let sit in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours. Preheat the oven to 150°C and rinse the duck legs (remove the salt). Place the legs in a large baking dish, add thyme and bay again. Melt the fat over low heat and pour it over the legs; if the fat is insufficient to cover them completely, drizzle a little sunflower oil. Bake for 2-2½ hours. Meanwhile, peel and halve the onion and garlic cloves, then dice finely. Peel and dice the carrot, and do the same with celery. Cook the lentils in chicken broth with the herb bouquet for 25-30 minutes. While that stews, sauté the vegetables in oil, add a splash of the lentil cooking liquid and steam until tender. Drain the lentils and fold them into the vegetables. Warm the spinach according to package instructions, seasoning with salt and pepper.

2. 2.

   Remove the duck legs from the fat, place on an oven-safe plate and broil at 270°C until the skin is crisp brown. Arrange the vegetable and spinach mixture on plates, garnish the duck with bay leaves and serve. The seasoned duck fat also makes a great spread for bread.