The trick to this ridiculously easy technique is to use a dish that will hold the duck thighs snugly pressed together, which allows them to “confit” as they bake. If you only have a larger dish, increase the recipe and cook extra duck legs. Note that this has to chill in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

4 duck thighs (thigh and leg attached)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. gin
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 bay leaves

Prick the duck all over with a needle, piercing the skin. Mix the salt, gin, nutmeg and allspice in a baking dish that will fit the duck legs snugly, with no room around them. Rub the spice mixture all over the meat. Put the garlic (cut lengthwise) and bay leaves on the bottom of the baking dish and lay the duck legs, flesh-side down, on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Put the duck in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the duck thighs for 2.5 hours, taking them out during baking once or twice and basting them with any duck fat pooling around. To finish the duck, increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skin is deeply browned and very crispy. Once your duck is cooked, keep that fat pooling in your baking dish — it’s great for frying up potatoes, or even chicken.