Braised duck in a fine sauce

 

Very tasty duck drumsticks with a great sauce.

Attention!
Here red cabbage is a must (homemade). Make this the day before (tastes better).
Also Kartoffelknödel (potato dumplings) go well with it.
Preparation time for the drumsticks approx. 2.5 to 3 hours!

Preparation You'll need: An oven-safe pan with a lid, a roaster that seals well or a tajine (that's what I use). A small pan A small pot for the red cabbage from the previous day
Ingredients (for 2 people). 2 drumsticks of Barbarie duck (approx. 350 g each) We don't find duck breast so great with that sauce. 2 medium red onions 1 medium carrot (approx. 75-100 g) 1 small piece of celery root (approx. 75-100 g) just under 2 Tbsp. clarified butter/ghee (the fat from foie gras also fits perfectly) 1 tsp. brown cane sugar 50 mL port wine 300 mL red wine Approx. 350 ml broth (preferably duck, if you can't find that, game, or poultry in a pinch). 2-3 tsp plum jam 4 tsp redcurrant jelly 8 bay leaves 1 star anise 2-3 tsp Mondamin Gravy thickener for dark sauces or simply cornflour Salt and pepper from the mill Nutmeg, possibly some cinnamon
Preparation Roughly dice 2 medium red onions, 75-100 g carrot and 75-100 g celery root, set aside. Rinse the duck legs, pat dry, salt.Heat about 1 Tbsp clarified butter in pan/broiler and sear drumsticks briefly on both sides over medium-high heat until just lightly browned. Set aside. In the used pan, now sauté the root vegetables for a few minutes (for the roasted flavours of the drumsticks). Sprinkle with 1 tsp. cane sugar and caramelise. Deglaze with 50 mL port wine, continue to fry until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Preheat the oven to 140℃ (fan oven). Add 300 mL red wine and approx. 350 mL stock, bring to the boil briefly. Place the duck legs in the stock, add 8 bay leaves and 1 star anise. Then place in the oven, covered, and braise for 2 hours. 2 hours time for other things ☺
Last steps Now put the pan/roaster back on the cooker, put the duck legs on the side and tip the stock through a sieve back into the pan. Discard the collected root vegetables, as well as the bay leaves and star anise. Reduce the stock by half over a high heat. Now it would be time to warm up the red cabbage from the previous day in a small saucepan. Thicken the reduced stock with 2-3 tsp Mondamin (for dark sauces) or cornflour, reduce again slightly if necessary. Season well with salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon and 2-3 tsp. of plum jam. As soon as everything is right with the sauce (taste and consistency), pour it back into the tajine, add the duck legs and grill in the oven (level 4, grill, 250℃) until the skin is a nice dark brown. Now serve with the side dishes, such as red cabbage and/or marrons and (separately) some redcurrant jelly.