I love autumn food! I love it for the abundance of extraordinary rich flavors the seasonal products offer. Also, I love that usually, this time of year, you want something comfortable that has the power to tuck you in and make you feel warm and fuzzy. The days in which you were looking for something fresh to counter heat are gone, and now you need something that would work as a blanky, but on the inside. You know? Well, at least, this is how I feel.

Another thing that I noticed is that because the vegetables are so amazing in the autumn is that I tend to cook more vegetarian-vegan dishes and focus less on meat, which I consider an ingredient more suitable for winter. Even so, there are some situations when a nice meaty protein is just what is needed for a meal to be completed. And this is exactly the case of mixing duck legs and red cabbage.

I know that many people don't even dare to think to confit duck legs but let me tell you that there are ways in which you can prepare them in an easier manner. So this being said, let me tell you how to confit duck legs as well as how to serve duck confit and make it memorable.

I will explain each part separately, so you won't get yourself tangled in all the information, but you can work on the braised red cabbage when the cooking meat process is coming to an end.

Easy duck confit:

• Take the legs, and using a knife or a skewer, punch the fat on both sides. Season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Place the duck legs in an air-tight container and let them sit in the fridge overnight.
• The next day, place them skin side down in a Dutch oven along with the dry chili, garlic cloves, rosemary, and thyme.

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• Pour water just so the legs are 1/4 covered. Cover with a lid.
• Place the Dutch oven in the preheated oven at 90 degrees Celsius (200 F) and let them cook for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, take the Dutch oven out, turn the legs skin side up, put the lid back, and return them for another hour in the oven.
• When the last hour of cooking is done, once again, take the Dutch oven out, and increase your oven temperature to 235 degrees Celsius (455 F). Let the legs rest while this happens.

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• For the next step, it would be great if you had a baking tray with a wire rack. But if you don't, you can improvise.
• For example, take any oven-proof tray and fill it with water. Place any heat-proof wire rack over the tray and the duck legs skin side up on the grate.
• Place the baking tray with a wire rack in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the skin becomes nicely golden and crispy.
• The reason why I recommend also using the water tray and not just the wire rack is that the steamy water will help you keep the duck moist under that crispy skin.
• When done, serve the duck confit leg with one of the most amazing red cabbage recipes out there.

Braised red cabbage

• Peel and chop the onion. Heat up a tbsp of olive oil in a pan and cook the onion on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until nice and glossy.
• Peel the carrot, grate it and cook it alongside the onion for a couple of more minutes. Sprinkle the fennel seeds in there as well.

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• Chop the red cabbage. Try to do fine strips, but if you can't, just do it your way. Transfer it to the pan, stir and move to the next ingredients.
• Peel and chop the apple into 1-2 cm cubes. Transfer them to the pan.
• Add the brown sugar, the Marsala wine, balsamic vinegar, and the raisins.

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• Stir to combine everything, put a lid on the pan and let it cook at low heat for about 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, take the pan off the hit. Add the butter and the orange juice, stir and put the lid back. Let it rest for another 10 minutes, then serve.

And this is it. Easy duck confit, just as I promised. Now for the wiki part. If you don't know what 'confit' means, then you should know that it refers to a cooking technique in which the meat is slow-cooked in fat. This allows the food to preserve in the fat.

It's a French method that comes from the Gascony region, one that goes centuries back.

The last thing that I want to say is that, for me, this braised red cabbage side dish is one of the best red cabbage recipes out there. However, if you are not a fan of red cabbage, you can go with something else. So what to serve with duck confit? Well, some crispy salad works, an orange sauce, mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, and so on. I really advise going with whatever suits your preferences.

Last but not least, I do hope that you will try our Delicious Easy Duck Confit and Braised red Cabbage and let us know your thoughts by giving us an Instagram tag. And if the duck leg is not among your all-time preferences, you can try one of our duck dishes - Love at First Duck or Sweet and Spicy Crispy Duck Salad.