Stuffed Leg of Duck with Red Wine Sauce
Robed in rich red wine sauce, these duck legs are sliced on the diagonal to reveal their truffle-studded filling. The legs are deboned and flattened, stuffed, then reshaped and cooked wrapped in caul fat. Caul fat is available from butchers; its lacy, stretchy fat holds the meat together and bastes it at the same time.
Ingredients
- Sauce and Assembly
- Whole Duck - 1, (3-1/2 to 4 pounds) or 2 duck legs plus duck bones and trimmings
- Olive Oil - 6 tablespoons,heated
- Onion - 1, roughly chopped
- Carrot - 1, roughly chopped
- Tomato - 1, chopped
- Pinch of thyme
- Bay Leaf - 1
- Black peppercorns - 6
- Salt to taste
- Red Wine - 1/2 bottle (Volnay recommended)
- Veal or Duck Stock - 8 ounces
- White Turnips - 1 pound
- Unsalted Butter - 2 ounces (4 tablespoons)
- Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
- Stuffing
- Pork meat - 2 ounces
- Bacon - 2 ounces
- Chicken Livers - 1
- Shallot - 1, chopped
- Unsalted Butter - 1 ounce (2 tablespoons)
- Egg Yolk - 1
- Truffle - 1, chopped fine
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 2 tablespoons (varies, depending on the amount of fat in the pork)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Caul Fat - 3 ounces
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
To prepare the sauce: Debone the duck, reserving the legs for this dish and the meat for another dish; refrigerate the reserved meat. Chop the bones and trimmings and place in a heavy pan with the heated olive oil. Add the onion and carrot and brown, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt. Stir together and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir up the glaze from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to simmer and cook about 1 hour, until the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Strain the sauce, stir in 1/4 cup of the stock, and reserve in a warm place.
Peel the turnips and shape into small spears. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, add two tablespoons of the butter, and season with a little salt. Bring to a boil. When the liquid has almost evaporated, add the sugar. Continue to cook until a brown glaze forms in the pan. Stir in the remaining stock and set aside; keep warm.
To prepare the stuffing: Put the pork, bacon, and chicken liver through a meat grinder. In a saute pan, heat the butter and cook the shallot until translucent. In a bowl, mix the chopped meats, shallot, egg, truffle, and most of the cream, stirring until the mixture is soft but holds its shape; add more cream if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
To finish the duck legs: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Butter the bottom of a roasting pan. Debone the duck legs and pound the meat flat. Lay the caul fat on a flat surface and cut into two five-by-five-inch squares. Place a deboned leg on each square. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place stuffing in the center of each leg. Close the leg meat over the stuffing, then wrap the caul fat over the leg, shaping to form a chop. Place in the roasting pan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
To serve: Heat the reserved sauce until hot, then whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Adjust seasoning. Slice the duck leg packets diagonally and fan the slices on two warmed serving plates. Garnish with glazed turnips. Spoon sauce over the duck.
