“Draw me like one of your French girls…” and with that, we got the French version of shepherd’s/cottage pie. And a bonus of duck skin crackling topping!
I used duck confit legs, which has already been cooked (in its own fat), so all I was doing with the cooking process was melting together all the flavors for the sauce.
Duck Confit Parmentier Recipe
2 confited duck legs, meat separated from skin and bones
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
Bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp softened butter
2 tbsp flour
2-3 cups mashed potato
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère
Lightly brown onion in oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and continue browning for anouther 10 minutes, stirring once. Add red wine to deglaze pan, then add the broth, aromatics, meat and bones. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes or more. Remove bones. If sauce needs thickening, make a beurre manie with the butter and flour. Using fingers or a fork, mix the butter and flour together into an homogenous mixture. Then add to sauce in small bits, stirring until fully incorporated.
Transfer meat and sauce to an oven safe dish and cover with a thin layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle on Gruyère and bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes until everything is cooked through and cheese is fully melted.
In the meantime, place skin on a wire rack over a sheet pan and roast at 400F for 8-10 minutes until browned but not burnt. Let cool a few minutes, then chop into small pieces. Sprinkle over each Parmentier serving.
