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There’s something deeply comforting about the kind of recipes that takes its time. The sort of dish that unfolds over hours, layer by layer, quietly simmering in the background while life goes on around it. This duck leg stew is one of those recipes. It’s unhurried, intensely flavorful, and grounded in a very simple pleasure: letting ingredients slowly become something more than the sum of their parts.
At the heart of it is duck; a meat that often feels a little bit celebratory, a little bit luxurious, but at the same time, deeply rustic. Duck legs, with their rich meat and generous layer of skin, are perfect for long braising. They thrive in low heat and wine-scented stews, soaking up aromatics and transforming into something silky and fork-tender. This particular dish does just that, combining slow-cooked duck with a bold marinade, savory stock, and a finishing layer of sweetness from prunes and olives. It’s the kind of stew that tastes like a story, unfolding bite by bite.
A Marinade Worth the Wait
It all begins the day before. Marinating overnight is non-negotiable here. Not just because it infuses the meat with flavor, but because it’s part of the rhythm. Duck legs are nestled into a deep bowl or dish with red wine, chopped onion, carrot, a generous handful of garlic cloves, fresh ginger, and woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage. A few juniper berries, a bit of black pepper, and salt are added to deepen the profile. The whole thing is covered and left to sit overnight in the fridge, soaking up the boldness of the wine and the earthiness of the aromatics. It’s a small act of patience that pays off tenfold the next day. If you don’t have juniper berries or some of the herbs; don’t worry! Just add herbs that you love and have at hand.
The First Sear: Unlocking Flavor and Texture
When you return to the duck the next morning, the meat is stained the color of the wine. It’s dark and fragrant and ready to transform. The first step is to carefully pat it dry. This is key, since excess marinade on the skin will interfere with that initial sear you want to achieve. Once dry, you score the skin. A light crosshatch, just deep enough to help the fat render and the heat penetrate. It’s a little detail, but it makes a world of difference later on.
Now comes the searing. Start with a cold pan, skin side down. This might seem counterintuitive, but bringing it up slowly allows the fat to render more gently, helping you get a beautifully crisp, golden crust without burning. Once both sides are seared, set the duck aside and turn your attention to the vegetables from the marinade.
Waste Nothing: Caramelizing the Marinade Aromatics
Don’t throw out the vegetables and herbs from the marinade. They’ve soaked in the wine, the herbs, and the essence of the duck overnight, and they’re ready to be coaxed into even deeper flavor. Toss them into the pan and let them fry until they caramelize just slightly, getting soft at the edges, darkened around the corners. Then, you deglaze the pan with the reserved wine from the marinade. This moment is always a little bit magical – when the wine hits the hot pan and all those browned bits lift up from the bottom, you can smell the stew coming together. That’s the base of your sauce forming right there.
Into the Oven: Low and Slow
Once the pan is deglazed, everything is transferred to an oven-safe pot: the duck legs, the wine, the vegetables, the pan juices, and a good splash of beef stock to round it all out. Cover the pot, but not completely. A little gap helps the sauce reduce gently in the oven. Then it’s into the oven for two hours at a low, steady heat. This is the moment where the kitchen starts to smell like something out of a fairytale. There’s red wine in the air, garlic and onion, rosemary, and sage. It’s warm and rich and inviting in a way that demands you slow down and stay a while. And while the duck cooks, you prepare the rest.
I recommend using a cast iron pot for this recipe. Cast iron is ovensafe and holds heat evenly and steadily, which is essential for slow-cooking dishes like duck stew. Its heavy bottom prevents burning, while the thick walls gently braise the meat until it’s falling off the bone. It transitions beautifully from stovetop to oven, so you can sear, deglaze, and bake all in one vessel while locking in flavor and making cleanup a breeze. If you want to get a good cast iron pot, I recommend this one.
A Sweet, Savory Addition: Prunes and Olives
Prunes are soaked in white wine and tucked away in the fridge. This step might surprise you if you’re not used to using prunes in savory cooking, but they add a subtle sweetness and silkiness to the finished dish—something that balances the depth of the duck and the saltiness of the olives beautifully.
Once the duck has finished braising, it’s carefully lifted out of the pot. At this point, the meat is practically falling off the bone, but still holding together enough to be handled. The sauce is strained, and the now-spent vegetables are discarded. They’ve done their work.
Building the Sauce: Rich, Glossy, and Deeply Flavored
To build the final sauce, another pan is heated with a spoonful of duck fat (or oil), where fresh onion gets sautéed until golden. A chili is added for a little background heat, along with slices of carrot, then a spoonful of flour. This is your thickener: it gives the sauce body. You slowly add back the strained braising liquid, stirring to avoid lumps. The goal here is a glossy, thick sauce that clings to the meat and brings everything together in one smooth pour.
Meanwhile, the soaked prunes get their turn in the spotlight. They’re fried gently in butter, then combined with olives and a bit of the white wine they soaked in. This mixture cooks down into a sticky, shiny reduction. It’s sweet, savory, and deeply aromatic. It might sound like a side note, but it’s one of the highlights of the whole dish.
This recipe calls for some good stock. Homemade beef stock adds a deep, complex flavor that store-bought versions simply can’t match. It’s rich in natural gelatin, extracted slowly from bones and connective tissue, which gives your sauce a luxurious body and mouthfeel. Plus, when you make it yourself, you control exactly what goes in. No preservatives, additives, or excessive salt: just pure, wholesome flavor that enhances every element of the dish. If you want to learn how to make your own beef stock, see the video below.
Finishing Touches: Bringing It All Together
Finally, that prune and olive caramel is stirred into the sauce. The duck legs are returned to the pan, gently basted with the finished sauce. By now, the flavors are so layered you’d think they’d take a week to develop. The richness of the duck, the complexity of the wine, the subtle heat from the chili, and the surprising, delicious sweetness from the prunes—it’s all there, harmonious and bold at once.
This stew begs to be served with something that can hold the sauce – creamy mashed potatoes, thick slices of rustic bread, even a simple mound of rice. Something to scoop and soak and savor.
A Stew That Feels Like a Celebration
It’s not a quick dish. And it’s not meant to be. This is the kind of recipe you make when you want to treat someone (or yourself) to something that took time and intention. It’s weekend food. Celebration food. Winter food. The kind of dish that fills a home with scent and warmth and memory.
And even though it’s a stew, it doesn’t feel heavy. The acidity from the wine, the herbs, the brightness from the olives keep the flavors alive, layered, and incredibly satisfying. It’s a dish with roots, with patience, and with a real payoff at the end. So, if you have an afternoon to spare and you’re craving something rich, slow, and full of soul, this red wine duck stew just might be exactly what you need.
This cozy duck stew recipe is slow-cooked with red wine, prunes, and olives for a rich, flavorful dish that’s perfect for any occasion. The meat turns meltingly tender, and the sauce is deeply aromatic with just the right balance of savory and sweet. I promise; you’ll love it!
Total Time:3 hours
Yield:2–4 portions 1x
Ingredients
Scale
2–4 duck legs
For the Marinade
1 onion, chopped
10 garlic cloves
1 carrot, sliced
1 thumbsized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
5–10 sprigs of sage
A handful of fresh thyme sprigs
2–3 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp juniper berries (optional)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1 bottle of red wine
For the Stew
1–2 tbsp dried parsley (optional)
2 ½ dl (1 cup) beef stock
2 dl (¾ cup) dried prunes
1–2 dl (½–¾ cup) white wine
1 tbsp duck fat (or cooking oil)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 chili pepper (mild to medium spicy)
2 dl (¾ cup) olives without seeds
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp butter
Salt, to taste
To Serve
Roasted, boiled, or mashed potatoes, rice, or bread
Instructions
Add the duck legs and all marinade ingredients to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the duck legs from the marinade and pat completely dry with paper towels. Strain the marinade liquid, keeping the vegetables and aromatics. Score the duck skin lengthwise and crosswise, being careful not to cut into the meat.
Place the duck legs skin-side down in a cold frying pan. Slowly bring to medium heat and sear until the skin gets some good color. Flip and sear the other side. Set aside on a plate.
In the same pan, add the vegetables and aromatics from the marinade. Fry until they begin to caramelize. Add dried parsley, if using. Pour in the strained marinade liquid and scrape the bottom to deglaze the pan.
Transfer the duck legs to an oven-safe pot. Pour in the liquid from the frying pan along with the resting juices and beef stock. Season with salt. Cover with a lid, leaving it slightly ajar. Cook in the oven at 160°C (320°F) for 2 hours.
Add the prunes to a bowl and pour over the white wine. Refrigerate and let soak while the duck stews.
Once the duck is cooked, remove the legs and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid and discard the vegetables and aromatics.
In a frying pan, heat duck fat or cooking oil. Add chopped onion and fry until slightly golden. Score or poke a few holes in the chili. Add it along with the sliced carrot. Stir.
Sprinkle in the flour. Stir and fry for 1–2 minutes. Add the strained liquid gradually, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the carrots are soft. You may not need all the liquid – add enough to achieve a thick sauce, plus a little extra to account for reduction.
In a clean frying pan, melt the butter. Add the soaked prunes (reserving the wine) and fry for a few minutes. Add the olives and about half the soaking wine. Cook until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy and caramelized.
Stir the prune and olive mixture into the sauce. Return the duck legs to the pot and baste generously with the sauce. Warm through gently before serving.
12. Serve with your choice of roasted, boiled, or mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread. Enjoy!
Prep Time:30 minutes (plus overnight marinating)
Cook Time:2 hours 30 minutes
2 responses to “Red Wine Duck Stew”
James Freeman
Brilliant, I’ll be making it. I love the care and attention.
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