Jono & Jules do food & wine

You can buy duck confit in tins locally but they tend to be much cheaper in France so if you’re lucky enough to go there (or know someone else who is going), stock up! You will have the prep done for many delicious dishes, like this one.

Wine Suggestion: A classic French dish needs a classic French wine. We suspect red Burgundy would be great, however we didn’t have any to hand so instead opened a bottle of Chateau Lascaux Pic St Loup “les Nobles Pierres”. A classic Syrah-Grenache blend but from prime vineyards in the Languedoc where Duck dishes reign supreme. Juicy, brambly and layered with velvety and characterful tannins.

Parmentier de Confit de Canard – serves 4 to 6

• 4 Confit duck legs (1 large tin – it says on the tin how many legs are inside)
• 4 shallots, chopped
• a few fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
• 175ml red wine
• 200ml chicken stock
• a handful of flatleaf parsley
• 800g potatoes, cut into 5cm chunks
• 100-125ml warm milk
• 150g-200g Comté cheese, grated

Warm the confit duck legs over a gentle heat to release the fat, then pour the fat into clean jam jars for future roast potatoes. You will need to keep 2 tbsp aside for this dish.

Remove the skin from the duck legs and discard. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it with two forks, discarding any bones and gristle.

Heat 2 tbsp of the duck fat in a pan, add the shallots, thyme and plenty of black pepper. Allow the shallots to brown gently, then add the wine and stock, then bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes, then add the duck meat and chopped parsley. Stir and set aside.

Heat the oven to 210C/Fan 190C.

Boil the potatoes in salty water until tender. Drain them well, then add the warm milk and mash until smooth. Season with salt and a big pinch of black pepper.

Grease a 18 x 28cm baking dish with a little duck fat, then pile in the meat and cover with the mashed potato. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake for about 25 minutes or until browned and bubbling.

Serve with carrots and greens.

(Original recipe from Rick Stein’s Secret France, BBC Books, 2019.)