Recipe: My Confit Duck Thighs with Sarlat Potatoes

1 Trim your duck thighs well, keeping the fat.

2 In a shallow dish, pour half of the coarse salt, thyme and porcini powder, then place your thighs skin side down and cover them with the remaining salt, thyme and porcini powder, wrap with film and refrigerate for 18 hours.

3 After this time, remove your thighs and rinse them with cold water under the tap and dry them on absorbent paper.

4 In a flat sauté pan, melt the fat from the thighs, then add your thighs, bay leaves and a little ginger and cover with duck fat, then cook carefully at a gentle simmer, no more than 80° for 2 hours.

5 Slice your potatoes, rinse them and dry them, then in a large frying pan take 3 tablespoons of duck fat, heat it and then pour in your potatoes, sear them for 5 to 6 minutes then lower the heat, salt, cover and continue covered for 10 minutes and turn off the heat.

6 Test the cooking of your thighs
In farms long ago a straw had to pierce through them but nowadays a larding needle or a skewer will do.

7 Then remove your thighs, place them on a tray in the middle of the oven in Grill position until the skin becomes crispy.