Ingredients

• 4 duck legs
• 15g/½oz table salt per kilo of duck legs
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
• 2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves
• finely chopped
• 600ml/20fl oz duck fat
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp honey
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• finely sliced
• 1 small carrot
• finely chopped
• 1 stick celery
• finely chopped
• ¼ leek
• finely chopped
• 300g/10½oz Puy lentils
• 175ml/6fl oz red wine
• 450ml/16fl oz beef stock
• 2 tbsp good sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 4 slices pancetta
• cooked

Directions

• For the honey confit of duck
• preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1.
• Mix the salt
• herbs and garlic in a bowl with the duck legs to coat them. Cover the bowl and leave for 24 hours in the fridge.
• Rinse the duck legs and wash the salt mix off the duck. Place in an ovenproof saucepan with a lid and add the duck fat and bay leaves.
• Bring to a simmer
• then put the lid on and cook in the oven for 2½ hours. Remove the duck from the fat and set aside.
• For the Puy lentils
• heat a sauté pan or a large frying pan then add the butter and oil. Once hot
• add the onion and cook for two minutes. Add the garlic
• carrot
• celery and leek and cook for a further two minutes.
• Add the lentils and red wine and bring to the boil. Cook until the wine has reduced by half then add the stock and cook the lentils for 25-30 minutes. Mix in the sherry vinegar and coriander.
• To finish the duck legs
• heat the oil in a frying pan
• once hot add the honey. Cook the duck legs in the honey for two minutes basting the legs all the time.
• To serve
• place a pile of the lentils on the plate with a leg next it
• and crumble the cooked pancetta on top of the lentils.