Roasted Duck Legs With Potatoes and Garlic

It's Masterchef The Professionals time again. It's the only one I watch. Masterchef for punters just depresses me by demonstrating how far my moderate culinary talents lag behind those of serious amateur cooks. And the so called Celebrity version? How many of us can recognise more than twenty percent of them?

Every year, I swear I'll switch on MCTP only for the skills test. I have learnt so much from that over the years. And from there, you empathise or sympathise with the individuals concerned, making it impossible not to follow their progress to the bitter or triumphant end. For amateur and pro contestants alike there are many pitfalls. Two in particular stand out.

The first is a fondant potato. A simple enough dish, but time is the killer, so they are often left with undercooked specimens. A pal once suggested I should throw my hat into the MC ring. You have to be kidding! The things they are required to do in an hour and a half would take me two days' planning and eight hours' hard graft in the kitchen, not including the two coffee breaks and a couple of swigs of the cooking red.

The second is duck, especially duck breasts. They need to be nicely seared for a crisp skin; they need to be done for long enough to render the very thick layer of fat; but they need to be pink enough to satisfy the judges who seem to like their meat products quasi-raw. I digress, but a few years ago I was rooting for the Scottish contestant who produced perfect beef, only to be told it was overcooked. If I served mine like yours, came the response, all my customers would send it back. Well said, sir. (But he didn't win.)

I have adopted a fool proof approach to cooking duck breast: I don't do it. Instead, at a fraction of the cost, I go with duck legs. I think this recipe appeared a few years ago. No apologies. I cooked it last weekend, and had forgotten how delicious it is, though not for those on a low cholesterol diet. Another masterpiece from the lovely Sarah Mellersh of the much missed Let's Cook Scotland.

Ingredients

2 duck legs; 450g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes; ½ tsp dried thyme; half a head of garlic (separate the cloves leaving the skin on, but remove the papery exterior); salt and pepper.

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Preheat the oven to 180˚C/Mark 4. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. (If you don't have one, make sure you have a preheated roasting tin ready.) There is no need for any oil. Make sure that the duck legs are at room temperature, and pat them dry. Place the legs skin side down and leave until the skin is a golden brown, and some fat is coming out. Resist the temptation to fiddle with them. When the legs are brown, arrange the potatoes and garlic in the pan or roasting tin and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Place the legs, skin side up, on top of the potatoes and put in the oven. Cook for one and a half to two hours, turning the potatoes two or three times. After serving, you can squeeze the glorious cooked garlic out like little toothpaste tubes.

The lovely and very talented Anne H says she sometimes adds some chunks of raw beetroot as well.

Tom Cooks! will be back in two weeks.