Brown a couple of duck legs all over, then put into a casserole dish. Add a chopped carrot and a chopped small onion and fry
in the duck fat for 7 – 10 minutes, until starting to turn golden. Add a Tbs plain flour and cook for a few minutes, then add
a bay leaf, a star anise, 2 strips of orange skin (use a potato peeler for this), then add a small glass of port together with
2 – 3 glasses of chicken stock. Stir well to incorporate everything and pour over the duck legs, cover the casserole and cook
in a 160°C oven for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make a potato gratin: slice peeled potatoes, season lightly with a little salt and freshly-ground black pepper,
then layer in a casserole dish. Warm 100ml milk and 100ml double cream with a crushed clove of garlic then pour over the potatoes.
Dot the top with butter, cover with foil and bake with the duck for 90 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 20-30 minutes to brown
the top.
When the duck legs are cooked, remove them from the casserole and keep warm. Take out the bay leaf and use a stick blender
to pulverize the sauce to a smooth consistency, simmering to reduce if it’s too thin. Serve the duck legs with a little sauce
poured over, alongside the potato gratin and a green veg.