Reduce the wine. Bring to a boil in a medium saucepan and reduce heat to a brisk simmer. Cook until reduced by half, 10 minutes or so. If you overdo the reducing, don't sweat it. Just top it off with more wine. Set aside.

Trim excess fat from duck legs, if necessary (mine were already well trimmed), but don't throw out the fat. Season the duck legs generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat an oven-safe, lidded deep skillet or sauté pan large enough to comfortably hold the duck legs in a single layer over medium-high flame. Add the oil and let the pan get good and hot.

Add the duck legs to the skillet skin side down and cook until the skin is beautifully brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. If you trimmed fat from the duck legs, add it to the pan toward the end so it can render. Turn the duck legs and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer legs to a plate and turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain all but 1 tablespoon or so of the duck fat from the pan and reserve (see Kitchen Notes). Add shallots, carrots and parsnip to the pan and gently toss to coat with duck fat. Add garlic and dried thyme (if using) to the pan, season everything with salt and pepper, and gently toss to coat. Add 1 cup each of reduced wine and chicken stock to pan, scraping up any browned bits. If you're using fresh thyme sprigs instead of the dried, add them now.

Return duck legs to the pan, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices. The liquid in the pan should come partway up the sides of the legs, but not cover them. If it's too shallow, add a little chicken stock and wine to the pan, in equal amounts.

Cover the pan and transfer to oven. Braise duck until completely tender, about 2 hours. Check at 45 minutes and again at 90 minutes to make sure liquid isn't cooking away (I had no such problem).

Transfer cooked duck legs to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Let pan sit on the stovetop for a moment, then tilt and gently spoon off excess fat (you can discard this). If the sauce is too thin, heat over medium-high flame and reduce until it thickens to a saucy, spoon-coating consistency.

Serve the duck. This would be delicious with garlicky mashed potatoes, puréed cauliflower, creamy polenta or puréed parsnips (Marion had this at La Buvette and will be posting some here in the near future). Place duck legs on individual serving plates along with your chosen side. Spoon the sauce over and serve.