Duck Confit

Mix or grind together the salt, thyme, bay leaves, and pepper. Put the duck in a roasting pan or broad, shallow bowl and rub this mixture all over it. Nestle the garlic if you’re using it in among the legs and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

Remove the duck from the salt mixture and rub off any excess salt. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Warm the duck fat so that it is pourable. Place the duck and garlic in a baking dish in one layer. Cover the legs with the duck fat. (You may not need all the fat, depending on the size of your pan; and if you do not have enough, add olive or other oil as necessary.) Put in the oven and cook, undisturbed—the mixture should send up a few bubbles a minute, but no more than that; adjust the heat accordingly—for 3 to 4 hours or until a fork pierces the leg with little resistance. Cool in the fat for about an hour.

The legs can be stored in or out of the fat. To store them in the fat, simply refrigerate the whole roasting pan or combine the duck and the fat in a bowl and refrigerate. To store out of the fat, remove from the fat while still warm, then cool to room temperature. Wrap each leg individually and refrigerate. The legs (and garlic) will keep for up to 2 weeks; the fat will keep, refrigerated, indefinitely.