Confit Duck Parmentier Recipe

Parmentier is a dish topped with mashed potato, for instance hachis parmentier, minced beef and mash, or shepherds pie to English speakers! This delicious recipe for confit duck Parmentier has a delectable twist from the usual beef style parmentiers. Parmentier comes from Antoine-Auguste Parmentier (1737-1813, a pharmacist who convinced the French that potatoes were edible. It’s said he discovered he developed a fondness for potatoes whilest held in captivitiy during war with the Prussians. Until then potatoes were considered as pig swill only in France!

Confit duck Parmentier recipe – serves 6

For the filling

6 confit duck legs
6 shallots, chopped
Small bunch of thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
1 ¼ c red wine
1 ¼ c duck or chicken stock
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the topping

2.5 lb mashing potatoes, peeled and cut into approx 5cm pieces
⅔ cup warm milk
2.5 oz butter
2.5 oz Comté cheese, grated

Warm the confit duck legs over a gentle heat to release the fat, then pour the fat into a clean jar. You will need some for this dish, but save the rest for roasting potatoes another day.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20–25 minutes until tender. Drain them well and let them steam off for a few minutes in the colander then add the warm milk, butter and cheese and mash until smooth. Check seasoning and add salt and black pepper, as required.

Remove the skin from the duck legs and discard it (or slice and roast until crisp as a nibble – these are known as Grattons). Pull away the duck meat from the legs with a couple of forks and shred it, removing and discarding any bones and gristle.

Melt 3 tablespoons of duck fat in a pan, add the shallots, thyme, a pinch of salt 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. Check for seasoning, stir and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 190°c fan. Spoon the meat mixture into a baking dish then cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake for about 25 minutes until heated through and browned on top.

The cut of duck used for Duck Confit are duck legs. It is the lower leg plus the thigh attached, a poultry cut known as a maryland in Australia.

It must be bone-in and with the skin on. Because it ain’t Duck Confit without crispy skin!

This recipe comes from chef Sylvain Jamois, cheesejourneys.com, a luxury travel brand that curates unique, culinary experiences for artisan cheese, food and wine enthusiasts.

Find more fabulous recipes and about French cheese at CNIEL (Centre National Interprofessionnel de l Economie Laitière) the French Dairy Interbranch Organization, is an organisation recognised by French and European public authorities which brings together players from the French dairy sector (milk producers, cooperatives and private companies, people in mass retail, trade and institutional catering).