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Duck confit shepherd's pie in a ceramic baking dish with golden piped mashed potato topping and braised duck filling

Duck Confit Shepherd's Pie

A rich, oven-baked pie made with pulled duck confit, root vegetables, and a golden mashed potato crust.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 610
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Duck Confit Filling
  • 4 duck confit legs, store-bought or homemade about 800 g total, meat pulled and shredded, fat reserved
  • 2 tbsp duck fat (from the confit jar)
  • 3 shallots, finely sliced about 120 g
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice about 180 g
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 120 ml dry red wine Merlot or Côtes du Rhône
  • 300 ml duck or chicken stock
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs leaves stripped
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • to taste fine sea salt
Mashed Potato Topping
  • 900 g russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 60 g unsalted butter cubed, at room temperature
  • 80 ml heavy cream, warmed
  • 1 egg yolk optional, helps the topping hold its shape and brown
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted for brushing the top

Method
 

Make the Duck Confit Filling
  1. Remove the duck confit legs from their jar and let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Pull the meat from the bones and shred it into bite-sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat from the jar.
  2. Heat the reserved duck fat in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and carrots and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are soft and lightly golden at the edges.
  3. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute until the tomato paste darkens slightly and smells nutty.
  4. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Let it reduce for 2 to 3 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated.
  5. Add the stock, thyme leaves, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and coats the back of a spoon.
  6. Fold in the pulled duck meat and stir gently to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish and spread in an even layer. Set aside.
Make the Mashed Potato Topping
  1. Place the potato chunks in a large saucepan, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife.
  2. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pot over low heat for 1 minute to steam off any excess moisture. Pass through a potato ricer into a bowl or mash thoroughly until smooth.
  3. Add the butter, warm cream, egg yolk if using, salt, and white pepper. Stir until the mash is smooth, thick, and holds peaks. Do not overwork or it will become gluey.
Assemble and Bake
  1. Heat the oven to 200 C / 390 F.
  2. Spoon the mash over the duck filling and spread it to the edges with a spatula, or pipe it using a large star tip to create ridges across the surface.
  3. Brush the top of the mash lightly with the melted butter.
  4. Bake on the center rack for 25 to 30 minutes until the potato topping is golden brown at the ridges and the filling is visibly bubbling at the edges.
  5. Remove from the oven and rest for 8 to 10 minutes before serving. This lets the filling firm up so portions hold their shape on the plate.

Notes

If the mash is too soft to pipe or hold ridges, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before spreading - cold mash browns more crisply in the oven.