Salt duck with spinach, potatoes & bacon

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Cover your duck legs with sea salt and leave for 24 hours to infuse before rinsing and roasting for a crisp finish

Prep:20 mins
Cook:1 hrs
Plus salting

Serves 6
More effort

Nutrition per serving

kcal 471
fat 23g
saturates 6g
carbs 22g
sugars 6g
fibre 5g
protein 43g
salt 2.2g

Ingredients

6 duck legs
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp sunflower oil
500g button onions
500g small waxy potatoes
175g smoked bacon lardons
4 or 5 sage leaves
200g spinach leaves
2 tbsp sherry vinegar

Method

One day ahead: Place the duck legs in a dish and sprinkle over the salt, rubbing it into the skin. Cover with cling film and chill.
On the day: Rinse the duck legs under cold water to remove the salt. Pat dry with a clean towel. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Place the duck, fat-side down, in the pan and cook gently for 15 mins until crisp and golden.
Flip the duck and pour off the fat into a small bowl – keep this for later. Cook for a further 15-20 mins, then transfer to a roasting dish. If your pan isn’t big enough, cook the duck in batches. When all the duck is cooked, put in the oven for 40-50 mins while you finish the dish.
Put the onions in a pan with 1 tbsp of the reserved duck fat and gently cook for 20 mins until golden. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 15 mins in a pan of salted water, then drain, peel and leave to cool.
Tip 2 tbsp of the reserved fat into the duck pan and add the potatoes, bacon, onions and sage. Fry for 10 mins until golden, then add the spinach. Cook for 4 mins to wilt the spinach, then add the vinegar. Turn up the heat to bubble off any excess liquid, then spread this over a large serving plate. Arrange the duck on top and serve.