It’s not exactly comfort food season but that didn’t stop me from devouring the Duck Confit Shepherd’s Pie that I invented last night. I used a prepared duck confit, layered it with roasted carrots and Brussel sprouts and topped it with duck fat mashed white sweet potatoes. Sensational!
To Confit or Not to Confit. There is no question.
Heck no I didn’t confit my own duck! That takes days! I just rolled into my local Wild Fork and bought theirs.
Wild Fork Foods
I just recently discovered Wild Fork. Their goal is to provide access to better quality seafood and meats by working directly with farmers/fisherman that specialize in slow food. Everything they sell is frozen.
They are supposedly capturing ingredients at peak freshness and conserving that by freezing. Otherwise, your food travels through many hands before it gets to your plate which affects the quality, freshness and safety of it. Check out their site to see if their are stores near you. If not, you can buy online and have food shipped.
A new Wild Fork just opened near my house. I don’t eat much meat, but I do love me some duck. I found their duck confit legs and the price was right, so I bought them.
I was literally blown away at how unbelievably delicious they were. And each leg was a solid sized portion which really surprised me considering the price. Naturally, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since.
Farm Box Overload
My farm box gave me the option of adding white sweet potatoes this week. I thought I asked for 2, but apparently “1” equaled “4” because I received 8 in my delivery. I use Farm Box Delivery and I’m super happy with them. Click the link to see if they deliver near you.
I enjoy sweet potatoes but had never bought white sweet potatoes before. After a little Google research, it turns out they are not as sweet as a standard sweet potato and not quite as healthy. Potatoes will keep for a while as long as you keep them in a cool, dark place. But I still knew it would take me forever to use them all. I needed an idea that would whittle down the pile.
Duck Confit Shepherd’s Pie Destiny
As soon as I realized that making mashed sweet potatoes was the fastest way to use up some of my stash, I envisioned a shepherd’s pie. I used to make this Braised Lamb Shank Shepherd’s Pie which is a killer recipe but also requires one to braise lamb shanks which takes a long time.
The good voice in my head tried to convince me to use lentils and make a vegetarian shepherd’s pie. And I might. Someday.
But not today.
13 Minute Duck Leg Confit
If you want to confit your own duck legs, be my guest. That process involves curing, slow roasting and allowing the duck to soak in it’s own fat for hours. You’re looking at 24+ hours best case scenario. And even if you try, there is no guarantee that your duck will produce enough fat for the job.
Leave that to the professionals.
Culver Farms (Wild Fork’s product brand) did the work for me. I just submerged the sous vide packet in boiling water for 8 minutes and drained the fat into a measuring cup (DO NOT DISCARD THE GOLD).
Transfer the legs to a baking dish for a quick 5 minute broil to crisp the skin.
From there, just use a fork to pull the crispy skin and meat off the bones. It takes about 30 seconds.
Duck Fat Mashed Potatoes
Make your mashed potatoes while the carrots and Brussel sprouts are roasting. After boiling them, mash them and add some duck fat. You probably won’t need butter or salt.
The Filling
Carrots and peas are traditional layers in a shepherd’s pie but to me, it’s like a frittata. You can use pretty much anything that needs using up. I had one carrot and a bunch of huge Brussel sprouts from last week’s farm box. I just sliced the sprouts into smaller pieces and roasted with the carrot.
Duck Confit Shepherd’s Pie
Top your casserole with your duck fast mashed potatoes and bake at 350℉ for 20-30 minutes just make sure everything is nice and hot.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Culver Farms duck leg confit This product is available at Wild Fork or use a similar product.
- 4 white sweet potatoes
- 2 large carrots
- 2 cups sliced or shaved Brussel sprouts
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Roast the Filling Ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. On a baking sheet or large baking dish, toss the Brussel sprouts and carrots in olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Spread out across the dish to ensure even baking. Bake for 25-30 minutes until tender. Depending on thickness of your carrots, you may need to leave them in a few minutes long. Just transfer the Brussel sprouts to a separate dish.
Prepare the Duck Fat Mashed Potatoes
- Place your diced sweet potatoes into a saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water and season with salt. Bring to a boil. Boil about 6 or 7 minutes until tender. Drain and mash roughly with a fork or potato masher. Set aside.
Prepare the Duck Confit
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Submerge the duck confit packet into the boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove carefully and discard water. Snip a small corner off of the bag and drain the duck fat into a glass measuring cup.
- Change the oven setting to High Broil. Place the duck legs on a baking sheet (use the same one the carrots were on ideally) and broil for 5-6 minutes (use the normal middle oven rack). Remove from oven and pull the duck meat and skin from the bones with a fork.
- While your duck skin is crisping, add some of the duck fat to your mashed sweet potatoes and finish mashing to your desired consistency. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Assemble Your Pie
- Pour about a tablespoon of the duck fat into a round casserole dish. Add all of the duck meat including the skin. Layer with the carrots and Brussel sprouts, then finish with the potatoes. Bake at 350℉ for 20-30 minutes and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
If you love sweet potatoes, check out this Roasted Sweet Potato Fiesta Bowl recipe. And I’ve still got 4 white sweet potatoes to use up, so count on another recipe coming soon. Subscribe below so you don’t miss it.
