Braised Duck Legs with Celery Root, Kohlrabi and Apple Mash

Yesterday, I talked about getting whole ducks on sale and cutting the legs and breast off and making two different dishes instead of just one. This is a nice comforting dish with celery root, kohlrabi and apple mask instead of mashed potatoes. It is always nice to have a large celery root and kohlrabi in the refrigerator. It seems like it can last forever. Well, maybe just a few months. They can be used in endless ways, such as soups, stews and salads.

Red Wine braised Duck Legs with Celery Root, Kohlrabi and Apple Mash

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 large duck legs, trimmed of extra fat and the skin scored

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1 small carrot, chopped

4 garlic cloves, smashed

½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 tbsp. flour

2 cups/16 fl. oz duck stock or chicken stock

4 cups/ 32 oz. red wine

1 tbsp. tomato puré

½ tsp. black peppercorns

4 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 325°F (175°C).

To braise duck legs, heat oil in a large ovenproof saucepan. Season duck legs with salt and pepper, then place in the pan, skin side down, and cook until golden brown on each side. Tranfer duck legs to a plate and keep warm. Discard all but 1 tbsp. of fat in the pan. Add onion, carrot, garlic and thyme, and sauté until browned. Add flour and stir 1 minute, then add red wine, stock, tomato puré, peppercorns, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Add duck legs and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven for about 1 hour, or until tender. Carefully transfer legs to a plate and keep varm. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Return the sauce to the pan and cook over high heat until reduced to 2 cups. Return duck legs to pan and keep warm.

Celery root, Kohlrabi and Apple mash

2 lb. celery root, peeled, cut into ½ in. cubes

kosher salt

1 lb. kohlrabi, peeled, cut into 1 in. cubes

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 in. cubes

2 apples (½-3/4 lb.) peeled, cored, cut into 1 in. cubes

4 tbsp. butter

salt and freshly ground pepper

To make apples, bring apples and 2 tbsp. water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until apple falls apart, 6-8 minutes, adding water by tablespoonfuls if dry.

To make mash, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add celery root. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer celery root to a large bowl. Return water to a boil; repeat with the kohlrabi, then potatoes, cooking each separately until tender, 15 minutes for kohlrabi and 10-20 minutes for potatoes; add to bowl with celery root.

Mash celery root, kohlrabi, potatoes, and apples with a potato masher. Stir in butter. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a duck leg each on 4 warmed plates and place a large spoonful of mash next to them. Spoon wine sauce over the duck legs and mash. Serve a vegetable with the dinner.