Duck confit with sarladaise potatoes is one of the most iconic dishes of Périgord. Crackling skin, meat that falls off the bone, and potatoes golden in duck fat with a garlic and parsley finish: South-West French cooking at its most generous. With legs that are already confited, this great classic comes together in under an hour. Here is our recipe for 4 people.
Ingredients for 4 people
Step 1
prepare the confit
If your confit comes in a can or jar, dip the container in hot water for a few minutes to melt the fat. Gently remove the legs without breaking them and keep the fat: it will be used to cook the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F).
Step 2
prepare the potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices about 4 millimetres thick. Rinse them quickly in cold water to remove excess starch, then dry them carefully in a tea towel. Well-dried potatoes will brown instead of steaming.
Step 3
cook the sarladaise potatoes
Heat the duck fat in a large frying pan. Add the potato slices in as even a layer as possible and let them brown for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat, turning them gently from time to time. They should be tender inside and crisp at the edges. Salt at the end of cooking.
Step 4
roast the confit
While the potatoes are cooking, place the duck legs on a baking sheet, skin side up, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The skin should turn golden and crisp. To finish, put them under the broiler for 2 minutes if needed, watching closely.
Step 5
garlic parsley and serving
Finely chop the garlic and parsley. Off the heat, stir this persillade into the potatoes: the heat is enough to release its aromas without burning the garlic. Plate the sarladaise potatoes, set a duck leg on top, season with pepper and add a pinch of fleur de sel.
Secrets of a great duck confit
Never throw away the confit fat. It gives sarladaise potatoes their inimitable taste, and it keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator for other uses: roasted vegetables, fried eggs or sautéed potatoes.
For truly crispy skin, do not turn the legs during cooking and do not cover them. Dry, steady heat does all the work.
Add the persillade at the very last moment. Raw garlic burns very quickly in hot fat and turns bitter.
No time to make confit? Ready-to-crisp duck confit
Making confit yourself requires a long, slow cook in fat, several hours at low temperature. Our Périgord duck confit saves you all that time: legs from ducks raised in the region, slowly confited in their own fat, with no additives or preservatives, available in 380 g and 770 g. All that is left is to crisp them.
Duck confit is also the soul of cassoulet: discover our duck confit cassoulet and our traditional cassoulet recipe. For other cooking methods, read how to cook duck confit, and for more side ideas, what to serve with duck confit.
FAQ
Which potatoes are best for sarladaise potatoes?
Waxy potatoes that hold their shape when cooked and brown without falling apart. Avoid floury varieties, which are meant for mash.
Should you rinse duck confit before cooking it?
No. Simply scrape off the excess fat with a spatula. The thin layer left behind helps the skin brown.
Can sarladaise potatoes be made ahead?
They are best served straight away, while crisp. You can, however, peel and slice the potatoes ahead of time and keep them in cold water.
How many duck legs per person?
Allow one leg per person as a main course, with sarladaise potatoes and a green salad.
