Parmentier de confit de canard (Confit of Duck Cottage Pie)

duck cottage pie in a baking dish, with the bottom right corner removed to reveal the filling

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Parmentier de confit de canard (Confit of Duck Cottage Pie)

Parmentier de confit de canard (Confit of Duck Cottage Pie) is a traditional French recipe for a classic cottage pie with a confit of duck filling and a potato and grated cheese topping. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic French version of: Confit of Duck Cottage Pie (Parmentier de confit de canard).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

80 minutes

Total Time:

100 minutes

Serves:

4–6

Rating:

Tags : Spice Recipes Herb Recipes Game Recipes Milk Recipes Cheese Recipes Baking Recipes French Recipes

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I’m a big fan of duck and I was lucky enough recently to pick up a brace. I roasted both and turned one into a confit of duck using the duck fat and some goose fat I had left over from Christmas. This is an excellent way of turning confit of duck into true comfort food.

Ingredients:

For the pepper spice mix:
1 dried chipotle chilli, seeds removed
1 dried pasilla chilli, seeds removed
2 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp white peppercorns
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 tbsp salt

For the cottage pie:
4 duck confit legs or buy a tin
4 shallots, finely chopped
few fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
175ml red wine
200ml chicken stock
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
800g potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm/2in chunks
100–125ml warm milk
150–200g comté cheese, grated
salt and pepper spice mix (see above) or freshly ground black pepper
green salad or freshly cooked green beans or carrots, to serve

Method:

For the pepper spice mix, simply combine all the ingredients in a spice grinder and pulse to chop then blitz to a powder.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20–25 minutes until tender. Drain well, add the warm milk and mash until smooth. Season with salt and a large pinch of pepper spice mix or some black pepper. Preheat the oven to 210C (190C Fan/Gas Mark 6–7).

For the cottage pie, warm the confit duck legs in a saucepan over a gentle heat to release the fat. Pour the fat into clean jam jars — you will need some for this dish, but save the rest for roasting potatoes on another day.

Remove the skin from the duck legs and discard (or slice and roast for a snack). Pull away the duck meat with a couple of forks and shred it, removing and discarding any bones and gristle.

Heat 2 tbsp of the duck fat in a saucepan. Add the shallots, thyme and ½ tsp of the pepper spice mix. Allow the shallots to cook gently and once they are golden, pour in the wine and stock. Bring the ingredients to a boil, cook for a few minutes and then add the duck meat and parsley. Stir to combine, take off the heat and set aside.

Grease an 18x28cm baking dish with duck fat. Pile the meat mixture into the base, spreading it evenly with the back of a spoon, then cover with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top then transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until heated through and browned on top.

Serve with a green salad, green beans or carrots.