Duck Confit & Porcini Shepherd’s Pie

Yield Serves 4
RECIPE Ingredients
  • ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • ¾ cup boiling water
  • 4 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 2lbs), peeled and quartered
  • 2 tablespoons Black Truffle Butter, softened
  • 6 tablespoons half & half, divided use
  • Coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
  • ½ rib celery, diced
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ container Duck and Veal Demi-Glace + ¼ cup water
  • 4 Duck Confit Legs, skin and bones removed, rough chopped
  • ½ cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
Recipe notes
Our easy-to-make shepherd's pie recipe with duck confit takes a French twist on classic comfort food. It makes for an incredible meal. Tip: Don’t throw out the duck confit skin. Crisp the discarded skin in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt.
RECIPE Preparation
  1. Quickly rinse porcini mushrooms under cold running water. Place mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with ¾ cup boiling water. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease casserole or gratin dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
  3. In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes until fork-tender; drain. Squeeze potatoes through a ricer, into a large bowl. Fold in truffle butter and 4 tablespoons half & half. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
  4. In a large pan over medium flame, melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add carrot, celery, and shallot; saute until softened but not browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms from water squeezing excess liquid back into the bowl. Set mushroom water aside. Roughly chop mushrooms then add them to the pan along with the thyme leaves. Saute about 2 minutes more. Raise heat to medium-high. Add remaining tablespoon of butter. Once butter is melted, sprinkle flour over vegetables, mixing to coat; cook stirring constantly until flour turns golden, about 2 minutes. Add demi-glace/water mixture and reserved mushroom water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until sauce thickens about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining half & half and chopped duck confit. Cook until duck is heated through, about 2 minutes more.
  5. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Spoon reserved potatoes over the duck mixture and using a spatula, spread into an even layer. Top with Gruyere. Bake until dish is hot throughout and cheese has browned, about 20 minutes. Serve with a green salad.

Tip: Don’t throw out the duck confit skin. Crisp the discarded skin in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt.