Duck legs in a roasting pan

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 duck legs
• 1 bunch of mugwort
• Salt
• Sauce thickener

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 13 hours 30 minutes

simple recipe

Preparation begins the day before the duck legs are to be eaten. Wash the legs and pluck any remaining feathers, if necessary. Place the legs in a roasting pan. Fill with water until the legs are almost completely covered. Add plenty of salt to the water; you should be able to clearly taste the salt. Place the mugwort stalks in the water with the legs. Close the roasting pan with the lid and roast in the oven at 200-220 degrees Celsius (400-425 degrees Fahrenheit) for 2 hours. After 2 hours, the legs should be tender. If they aren’t, return the legs to the oven. Then chill the roasting pan, either in the refrigerator or outside. Continue the next day. Remove the roasting pan from the cold about two hours before eating. Skim off the fat that has settled on top and refrigerate. Remove the mugwort stalks. Place the legs on the lid of the roasting pan. Pour the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan. If the sauce is too salty, add water until the desired flavor is achieved. Bring the sauce to a boil and thicken with a sauce thickener or starch. We like it very thick, so we usually use starch; otherwise, half a sachet of sauce thickener would be used up. Place the legs in the oven on the lid of the roasting tin and brush with the skimmed fat. Roast at 180-200 degrees Celsius for about 45 to 60 minutes until crispy, brushing with fat occasionally. If necessary, switch on the grill function on the oven shortly before the end of the cooking time. Dumplings and red cabbage go perfectly with this.