Potting preserving meat or fish in a pot sealed with a layer of fat has a very long history in this country. Our potted duck has a deep savoury flavour and we think it makes a good communal bowl for sharing, with toast and home-made Piccalilli.
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs, preferably gressingham duck
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 garlic bulb
- 15 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 100 ml pale ale
- 2 tbsp madeira
- big pinch of ground mace
- black pepper
To Serve
- Piccalilli
- 12 slices brown bread, toasted
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 110°C. Sprinkle the duck legs with the salt and place in a casserole dish with a close-fitting lid.
- Separate the garlic cloves. Bash them with the back of a knife to crush roughly, then peel them. Add to the duck together with the sage, bay leaves and ale.
- Cover and cook in the oven for 2–3 hours until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
- Drain off and reserve all the cooking liquid. When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat with your fingers. Put it into a bowl. Squash the garlic cloves and add to the shredded meat. Discard the bay leaves.
- Add the Madeira, mace and lots of pepper to the duck meat. Reserve a few tablespoons of the duck fat to seal the surface; slowly beat the remaining fat and cooking juices into the meat until all is incorporated and it looks creamy. Check the seasoning.
- Pack into an earthenware dish. Pour the reserved duck fat over the surface, then chill.
- Remove from the fridge half an hour before eating, to allow the potted duck to soften slightly. Serve with Piccalilli and toast.
