Tags
bistrot cooking, comfort food, cottage pie, Duck, duck confit, mashed potato, parmentier, shephards pie
Duck Confit Parmentier is a French twist on classic shepherd’s pie made with confit duck legs, topped with intensely creamy mashed potato and sprinkled with Parmesan.
I often make my own duck confit – it is very easy and you can prepare it in advance but you can also use canned/preserved duck confit. See Duck confit / Confit de canard for a recipe on how to make your own confit.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the mashed potato:
1.3-1.5kg / 3 to 3.3lbs large russet or other floury potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
60ml / 1/4 cup crème fraîche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the duck layer:
4 duck confit legs, either store-bought or homemade (other dark meat poultry may be substituted, if desired)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup / 180ml red wine
Fresh parsley, chopped, about a handful
30g / 1oz freshly grated Parmesan
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180C /375F
To make the duck layer, remove the skin and bones from the duck legs and shred into small pieces
In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the onion and shallots until light gold and tender, about 5-7 minutes
Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds
Add the shredded duck meat and parsley and saute for another 2 minutes
Pour in the red wine and simmer to reduce, about 5 minutes
Divide the mixture into your four individual baking dishes
Set aside
In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes
Drain then squeeze potatoes through a ricer, into a large bowl for smooth creamy mash or simply mash with a fork or masher for a more rustic version
Fold in butter and crème fraîche
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Top the duck mixture with the mashed potato
Using a fork, flatten the potato into an even layer
Sprinkle the Parmesan on top, then bake until golden brown – about 25 minutes
Enjoy!