Duck au vin

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Coq au vin is a delicious bistro regular, but this version made with duck has an even richer flavour

  • Prep:20 mins
    Cook:2 hrs
    Plus chilling
  • Serves 6
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 642
  • fat 44g
  • saturates 12g
  • carbs 13g
  • sugars 5g
  • fibre 2g
  • protein 41g
  • salt 1.33g

Ingredients

  • 6 duck legs
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 bottle cheap red wine
  • tied bundle thyme and bay
  • 140g smoked bacon lardons
  • 200g baby button mushrooms

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the duck into a large bowl and season. Scatter over the flour and toss until coated. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish with a lid and spend a good 10 mins slowly browning the duck on all sides – try to get as much colour on it as possible. Remove the duck to a plate, then add the carrots, onion and garlic to the dish and cook for 5 mins until just starting to colour.

  2. Nestle the duck amongst the veg and pour over the wine. Add the herbs, season, then bring everything to the boil. Cover with a lid and place in the oven, undisturbed, for 1½ hrs. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Lift the duck into a container, strain the sauce into another and chill both. Can be made up to 2 days ahead or frozen for up to 3 months. Once chilled, lift the fat off the sauce and set aside for the Golden potatoes (see 'Goes well with').

  3. To serve, heat the cleaned dish and sizzle the lardons for 5 mins. Turn up the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 mins. Return the duck and sauce to the dish and simmer for 10 mins until the duck is heated through and the sauce has reduced a little. Serve each person a duck leg with some sauce spooned over, Golden potatoes and some green beans, if you like.

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