Duck Confit Tamales

• Start to prepare the duck leg confit at least 24 hours before you plan to make tamales.
• Cure duck legs by liberally applying kosher salt all over them. Place in a dish, cover, and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spoon duck fat into a saucepan over medium-low heat to melt. Remove duck legs from fridge, rinse off salt, and dry thoroughly. Place duck legs skin-side up in a baking dish. Add cinnamon stick, juniper berries, and bay leaves, and pour melted duck fat over the legs until they are just covered. Cover dish with foil and bake for 3½ hours until tender.
• While the duck cooks, prepare the salsa (recipe below). Then roast the whole poblanos over an open flame or under the broiler, flipping as needed, until the skins are charred all over. Place the poblanos in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest for 15 minutes. This makes them easy to peel. Remove skins, discard seeds and stems, and cut into medium dice. Set aside.
• When the duck has finished cooking, remove dish from the oven, and let cool for about 30 minutes. While they are cooling, soak the corn husks in a bowl filled with water.
• Remove the skin from duck legs and set aside. Pull and shred the meat, then combine in a bowl with the roasted poblanos, raisins, and honey. Now it’s time to assemble the tamales.
• Make the tamales by scooping out ¼ cup of masa, forming a disk between your hands, and then pressing it onto a soaked corn husk. Spread the masa into an even layer using your fingers and a plastic bench scraper. Atop the spread masa, layer on 2 tablespoons of the duck mixture, then line the top with goat cheese.
• Fold up the sides to elongate the filling, peel back the husk, then roll the husk over. Fold the bottom up to enclose filling, then secure with a piece of kitchen twine.
• In a pot lined with a steaming basket, fill with water just below the basket, then layer the basket with tamale husks. Stand the tamales upright on the folded ends, leaning against the sides of the pot, then cover the bottom with remaining husks. Bring to a boil, then steam on medium-low heat for 30 to 45 minutes.
• To test for doneness, open one tamal and make sure the husk peels away cleanly. Turn off the heat and let tamales sit for 15 minutes before unwrapping. While you wait, prepare the garnishes by reserving pomegranate seeds, microgreens, and Mexican crema. Optionally, fry the reserved duck skin in about a half cup of duck fat for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy.

For roasted tomatillo and avocado salsa

• Heat a comal or cast-iron skillet to medium-high and roast tomatillos until browned. Add tomatillos to a blender with remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth. Serve with tamales.
• To plate, spoon the salsa onto the plate, place a tamal on top, then garnish with Mexican crema, pomegranate seeds, microgreens, and chopped fried duck skin.