Parmentier with Confit de Canard

Damn the Girl thwarted my effort to make Hache Parmentier. I mentioned yesterday that I was going to make it using left over Pot au Feu. Well the only problem was that there was not enough left over. She had 3 helpings & all that remained from yesterday's lunch was a small piece of beef.

But I had my heart set on making Parmentier & besides, I didn't want to disappoint you guys coming here expecting to see it. So I decided to use Confit de Canard instead. Parmentier is actually a good way to use up any left over meat - we've done it with rabbit & X's mother does it with fish.

Confit de Carnard is duck confit. It's leg of duck cured with salt & then cooked in it's own fat. I have yet to attempt it & although it's not a difficult process, it's just very tedious. Maybe one day when I'm feeling adventurous I might give it a go but for now, I'll do what every one here does, get it from a can. I know I shouldn't admit to eating canned food much less blog about it but it's about one of the few things I like from a can.

Here's what it looks like. This is NSFH - not safe for the health conscious. If you are one of them, turn away right now. Do not read any further.

This is the leg of duck rendered in it's own fat. That is a lot of fat. I can feel my arteries clotting up just by looking at it. Anyway after you take out the duck leg & scrape off as much fat as you possibly can, don't throw the fat away. You can use it for your facial (just kidding !!). Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge & use it for frying potatoes.

So on to making Parmentier with Confit de Canard.

First off prepare mashed potatoes. Don't be embarrassed that you don't know how to make mashed potatoes. I didn't until I came to France. Boil 5-6 potatoes. When done (soft enough to poke your fork through), remove & mash with some butter (cut several small pieces into the mash - the heat from the potatoes will melt the butter). Then slowly add milk & mix it in. Add a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. For making Parmentier, it's better to be creamier so add a little more milk. Season with salt & pepper.

Take 1 or 2 duck leg, remove skin, bones & as much fat as you can. Shred the meat. Next fry it for 2-3 mins just until the meat gets a little colour. No need to add oil cos did I mention that there's a lot of fat. Well in case you missed it, let me tell you again, there is a lot of fat on the duck.

Now you're ready to assemble the Parmentier. Put about half of the mashed potatoes in your oven dish. Next layer with the shredded duck meat. Then pour in the rest of the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle bread crumbs all over & cut several small slices of butter & place it on top. Bake in the oven at 210 for 30 mins or until the top is browned.

Parmentier with Confit de Canard

Parmentier is not the most photogenic food but trust me, it is delicious. The saltiness of the duck confit goes very well with the mashed potatoes.