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Rick Stein's Duck Cottage Pie
Serves 4-6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 4 confit duck legs (see recipe, below, or bought)
- 4 shallots, chopped few fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped
- 175ml red wine
- 200ml chicken stock (see recipe, below, or bought)
- handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 800g potatoes, cut into 5cm chunks
- 100-125ml warm milk
- 150-200g Comté cheese, grated
For the confit duck legs
- 4 large duck legs
- 100g rock salt
- 900g duck or goose fat
For the chicken stock
- bones from a 1.5kg chicken or 450g wings or drumsticks or leftover chicken bones
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 thyme sprigs
Method
Warm the confit duck legs over a gentle heat to release the fat, then pour the fat into clean jam jars. You will need some for this dish, but save the rest for roasting potatoes another day.
Remove the skin from the duck legs and discard it or slice and roast as a nibble. Pull away the duck meat with a couple of forks and shred it, removing and discarding any bones and gristle.
Heat 2tbsp of the duck fat in a pan, add the shallots, thyme and plenty of black pepper. Allow the shallots to brown gently and once they are golden, add the wine and stock, then bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes, then add the duck meat and the chopped parsley. Stir and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 210C/ 190C Fan/Gas 7. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20-25 minutes, until tender. Drain them well, then add the warm milk and mash until smooth and season.
Grease a baking dish (around 18 x 28cm) with duck fat. Pile in the meat mixture, then cover with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake for around 25 minutes, until heated through and browned on top. Serve with a salad, green beans or carrots à la fermière.
Confit duck legs
MAKES 4
Make the duck confit at least 24 hours before you want to use it in a dish. Place one duck leg in the bottom of a deep plastic, glass or stainless-steel bowl. Sprinkle with a little of the salt, turn the duck over and sprinkle with more salt. Repeat with the remaining duck legs and salt. Cover and chill for 6 hours, turning the legs over after 3 hours. Don’t leave the duck any longer or it will be too salty.
Preheat the oven to 140C/ 120C Fan/Gas 1. Rub the salt off the duck legs. Bring the fat to a simmer in a flameproof casserole dish in which the legs will fit snugly. Add the legs, ensuring they are fully submerged. Cover the dish with a lid and put it in the oven for 1.5 hours. Remove and allow the duck legs to cool in the fat. Chill for 24 hours, or until required.
Chicken stock
MAKES AROUND 1.75 LITRES
Put all the ingredients in a pan with 2.25 litres water and bring to the boil, then immediately turn down to a simmer. Skim any scum from the surface, then leave the stock to simmer very gently for 2 hours. Don’t let it boil again or it will go cloudy. Strain through a sieve
lined with muslin and then simmer for a little longer to concentrate the flavour, if desired. If not using immediately, allow it to cool, then chill or freeze for later use.
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