Crisp Braised Duck Legs with Sherried Jus

2 duck legs, trimmed of excess fat, thigh bone removed
1 large onion
3 celery stalks
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
3/4 cup veal stock
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup sherry


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put duck legs skin side down in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably. Turn heat to medium, and cook, rotating so skin browns thoroughly and evenly but do not turn over completely. Meanwhile, peel onion, trim celery and roughly chop them.

2. When skins are nicely browned, turn and sear the meat side just 1 to 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate; remove all fat from pan except enough to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Add stock to the pan, then return duck legs skin side up to pan; the stock should come about halfway up the legs but not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to boil and transfer to oven.

4. Cook 30 minutes, and turn heat to 350 degrees. Cook undisturbed until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least 30 minutes or a bit longer. Remove duck to a new pan and return to the oven at 200F. Strain the juice from the braising dish, de-fat it and discard the vegetables. Place braising dish over high heat and deglaze with sherry, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits, reduce sherry by half, then stir in the reserved pan juices. Carefully add pan sauce to the pan with the duck and keep at 200F till ready to serve. Just before serving, crisp skin under the broiler.
Drawn from a Mark Bittman recipe.