A few sprigs of fresh herbs: I like sagethyme, rosemary and bay, if I have them
A few fresh cloves of garliclightly crushed
Rendered lardenough to completely cover the thighs (if you don't have access to lard you can substitute cooking oil in a pinch)
For the leeks and chanterelles
3ouncesfreshsmall chanterelles, cleaned
⅛cupdry white wine
1large leektender green and white parts only, halved lengthiwise and cut into 1 inch squares
1.5cupspeacock stock
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
½teaspoonfresh chopped thymeoptional
Instructions
Confit
The day before hand, season the peacock thighs aggressively with salt and pepper, (roughly 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper) then place into a bag with the herbs that you've gently bruised with the back of a knife, and the crushed cloves of garlic. Allow the legs to marinate overnight for 12-24 hrs, the longer the better.
The next day, reheat the oven to 275, then put the peacock legs, herbs and garlic into a baking dish, then completely cover the legs with fat or oil. Cover the baking dish, then cook for 2-3 hours, or until the meat yields easily when poked with a cake tester. Remove the peacock legs and allow to cool to room temperature on the counter.
If you're using whole legs, use a pliers to remove all of the pin bones from the drumstick. Put the legs back into the fat and refrigerate so the fat forms a complete seal, no bones or meat should be poking out of the fat at all. If no air is touching any of the meat, the confit will be fine for months kept under refrigeration, but if you keep it that long without enjoying it, there's something wrong with you.
Reheat + Finish
To re-heat the confit, gently melt the pan with the lard in a 250 degree oven until you can remove the legs. Increase the heat of the oven to 300 degrees. Heat a saute pan big enough to fit the confit in skin side down with a tablespoon of the fat. when the pan is hot and nearly smoking, add the confit skin side down, then put in the oven until just hot throughout roughly 10-15 minutes.
Heat one tablespoon of the butter in a wide saute pan, add the chanterelles and cook until the butter is just starting to brown, don't put too much color on them, you want the finished sauce to be blonde and light, not brown.
Add the leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes more, just until translucent. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes more, then add the stock and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the liquid in the pan is reduced by half.
Plating
Meanwhile, take the confit out of the oven and put it on the burner if the skin needs more color or crispness. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan with the leeks and mushrooms, reduce until about ¼ -½ cup remains and the sauce in the pan is slightly thickened like loose gravy, add the thyme.
Double check the seasoning of the leeks and sauce, adjust as needed, then divide the leeks, mushrooms and sauce evenly between two pre-heated dinner plates, top with a crispy peacock thigh and serve immediately.