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A luxurious dinner featuring tender, slow-roasted duck legs paired with caramelized Brussels sprouts and a vibrant hazelnut gremolata for a burst of flavor.
This elegant dinner combines slow-roasted duck leg confit with thyme-roasted Brussels sprouts, finished with a zesty hazelnut gremolata. The meal is nutritionally balanced with high-quality protein from duck, healthy fats from olive oil and hazelnuts, and low-GI carbohydrates from fiber-rich Brussels sprouts. It’s a perfect harmony of rich, savory flavors and vibrant, fresh elements.
Season duck legs generously with salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and crushed garlic. Place them in a tight-fitting baking dish and pour in enough duck fat or olive oil to come halfway up the legs. Cover tightly with foil and roast in a preheated oven at 140°C for 2.5 hours, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender.
💡 If you don’t have rendered duck fat, olive oil works surprisingly well as a substitute for confit.
Toss halved Brussels sprouts with olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer, cut-side down, ensuring they don’t touch, to prepare for roasting.
💡 Arranging cut-side down in a single layer without overcrowding is key to achieving crispy Brussels sprouts.
Remove the foil from the duck legs and increase the oven temperature to 200°C to crisp the skin for the last 20 minutes. Simultaneously, place the prepared Brussels sprouts in the oven on a separate rack and roast at 200°C for 20 minutes, until deeply caramelized and crispy on the edges.
💡 Keep an eye on both components during this final stage to avoid over-browning; rotate trays if needed for even cooking.
Finely chop toasted hazelnuts, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, garlic, and lemon zest together on a cutting board until well combined into a coarse, fragrant mixture. Stir in olive oil and a pinch of salt to finish the gremolata.
💡 Make the gremolata fresh and use it within the hour to preserve the vibrancy of the herbs.
