Recipe: Duck legs roasted with mustard

Total time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Servings: 2 to 4

Note: This recipe is adapted from one in Madeleine Kamman’s “In Madeleine’s Kitchen” (Collier Books, 1984).

4 duck legs (thighs included, about 2 1/2 pounds)

2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, crumbled

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3cup panko or other dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons melted butter

6 cups mesclun or other greens

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Rinse the duck legs and pat them dry. Rub them all over with the herbes de Provence. Season well with salt and pepper. Spread the mustard over the skin side of each leg to coat thinly. Lay the legs in a shallow baking dish, leaving space between them. Sprinkle evenly with the panko or breadcrumbs and drizzle evenly with the melted butter.

3. Roast 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and the coating is crisp. Serve on a bed of mesclun (no dressing is necessary as the duck juices and mustard will coat the salad).

Each of four servings: 421 calories; 41 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 24 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 177 mg. cholesterol; 557 mg. sodium.