Instant Pot Orange Duck and Gravy for the week
- Yield 4 servings
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total 1 hour 30 minutes
Instant Pot Orange Duck and Gravy for the week sits in the Duck section of Regbie. The card serves 4 servings. Plan on 1 hour 30 minutes from the first measure to the plate. The amounts and the method are both written on this page.
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 duck legs
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium celery rib, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 medium navel orange
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
Method
In a small bowl, combine 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use ½ the amount of salt if you are using Morton’s brand or a fine grain salt), herbes de Provence and black pepper. Blot the duck legs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the seasoning all over the legs.
Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot, and add 1 tablespoon cooking fat once the insert is hot.
Once the fat melts, add the onions, celery, and carrots, along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Leave stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Turn in the garlic cloves and add the tomato paste. Leave stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Tip in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest off the orange in strips, making sure you don’t peel into the bitter white pith underneath. Juice the orange and add it to the Instant Pot. Turn in the orange zest, parsley, bay leaf, and thyme. Whisk well, and turn off the sauté function.
Set the seasoned duck legs skin side up in a single layer on top of the vegetables in the Instant Pot.
Lock the lid and make sure the valve is pointed to the sealed position. Program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 45 minutes.
After the duck is done cooking, let the pressure drop naturally. If you’re impatient, you can manually release the pressure after 20 minutes has passed.
Carefully remove the duck legs. The meat should be fork-tender, so you don’t want to manhandle the cooked legs or the legs might fall apart on you. At this point, if you’re not eating right away, you can store the duck in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Discard the thyme sprig, bay leaf, and orange zest and use an immersion blender to purée the remaining contents of the Instant Pot to make a thick gravy. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. You’ll have tons of gravy, so freeze the extra in ice cube molds for up to 4 months.
When you’re ready to cook the duck legs, pat them dry and heat a large cast iron skillet over a medium-hot burner. Once the pan is hot, swirl in the remaining tablespoon of fat. Tip in the duck legs skin-side down and fry ’em undisturbed for 2-3 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Flip the legs over and brown on the other side.
Alternatively, you can broil the duck legs (though the skin won’t be as crispy). Here’s how to do it: Arrange the oven rack in the middle position, and turn on the broiler. Set the duck legs on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, skin side up. Broil the duck until the skin is nicely browned (5-10 minutes).
Either way, don’t forget to serve the Orange Duck with the gravy!
Kitchen notes
- Don't discard the extra gravy!
- The cook use it as a braising sauce for chicken thighs—simply salt and pepper boneless and skinless chicken thighs and toss them in the Instant Pot with 1 cup of gravy.
- Leave for 10 minutes under high pressure.
