Parmentier de Canard (Duck Pie)

Serves: Serves 4 - 5

Prep Time: 15 Minutes + waiting

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ready In: 55 mins
+ waiting

Ingredients

2 lb - potatoes

2¾ lb can - duck confit (4 thighs)

4 - shallots

4 sprigs - parsley

2 tablespoons - breadcrumbs

2 oz - butter

  - milk or cream

Directions

  1. To make mashed potatoes, peel the potatoes and cut into pieces of roughly equal size (A medium-sized potato is usually cut into about 6 pieces). Rinse the potatoes to remove any surface starch. Now place them in a large pan with sufficient salted water to cover the potatoes. Bring the water to the boil then turn down the heat and cover the pan so that it continues to boil gently.
  2. Cooking time can vary depending upon the type of potato and the texture. Generally, however, somewhere between 15 - 20 minutes is sufficient. When you think that the potatoes are close to being cooked, pierce one or two of them with a fork. If the fork penetrates easily with little resistance, the potatoes are cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and drain off the water. Add the butter and, using a potato masher, begin to break up and mash the potatoes. Add milk (or cream if you want to be decadent) until the texture is soft and light.
  3. While the potatoes are cooking, drain the fat from the duck confit (you can warm the duck portions very gently in a frying pan to melt the fat off). Save the duck fat in a screw-top jar for cooking - it's both tasty and healthy. Remove the skin from the duck then shred the flesh, making sure to remove all the bones.
  4. Peel and chop the shallots and soften them gently in some duck fat (about 10 minutes on low heat). Chop the parsley. Add the onions and parsley to the duck meat. Now you have a choice of two methods for two different presentations.
  5. METHOD ONE: Lightly grease some circular cookie cutters or cooking rings, arrange the meat at the bottom, then cover with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake in a pre-heated hot oven (Mk8 - 450°F - 230°C) for 25 minutes.
  6. METHOD TWO: Heat the duck/onion mixture in a microwave or skillet. Lightly grease some circular cookie cutters or cooking rings, arrange the meat at the bottom, then cover with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake in a hot oven (Mk8 - 450°F - 230°C) for 10 minutes.