I only came across this dish recently: a more interesting, delicious version of shepherd’s pie. A real hearty dish that I keep for cold weather.
Rather than minced meat, duck legs are cooked whole, gently, in their own fat until the meat falls off the bone.
To make this easy, buy your duck legs ready confited: you can find them in good supermarkets. Simply warm the legs in their fat, then flake the meat from the bones. I challenge anyone to tell the difference.
Prep time
20 minutes, plus 6 hours optional salting
Cooking time
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1½-3½ hours
Serves 4
*You will need a piping bag.
Ingredients
For the confit duck legs (optional)
4 duck legs
50g (3tbsp) rock salt
5g (1tsp) thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, sliced
600g (2½ cups) duck fat
For the filling
4 Confit Duck Legs (see above)
50g (3tbsp) duck fat
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
200ml Brown Chicken Homemade Stock or good quality shop-bought stock
3g (1tsp) thyme leaves
10g (4tsp) chopped parsley leaves
Sea salt flakes and fresh-cracked black pepper
For the topping
900g (2lb) Maris Piper potatoes
Rock salt
75g (3tbsp) butter
60ml (¼ cup) whole milk
1 egg yolk
Alternative serving suggestioncourdant/Shutterstock
Method
1. If making the confit, do it the day before making the Parmentier. Sprinkle a baking tray with half each of the rock salt, thyme and garlic. Put the legs on top, skin side up. Sprinkle with the remaining aromats and leave to cure for 6 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 120°C fan (275°F). Wash the aromats off the duck and dry with kitchen paper. Melt the duck fat in a deep ovenproof pan, add the duck and place in the oven for 2½-3 hours. The meat should be easily coming away from the bones. Leave to cool slightly before removing the skin and shredding the meat. If you have gone for shop-bought confit duck legs, gently warm them in their fat so you can easily remove the skin and shred the meat.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F). Prick the potatoes with a sharp knife, place them in the oven in a baking tray on a bed of rock salt and bake for 1 hour.
4. Put the 50g (3tbsp) of duck fat for the filling in a saucepan over a medium heat and sweat the onions for 5–10 minutes until very soft, but without color. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the shredded duck, stock, herbs and seasoning. Pick an ovenproof serving dish and pour in the duck mix.
5. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C fan (475°F).
6. Scoop out the cooked potato flesh and put it through a sieve or ricer. Add the butter, milk and egg yolk, mix well, check the seasoning and place in a piping bag. Pipe the potato on top of the duck mix and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
