Duck Shepherd's Pie, or "Duck Coop Pie"

[ts]
I think we had this idea to make duck shepherd's pie from when we had the first duck, but we already had that all planned out, so all those dishes overshadowed this idea. Besides, prolific as that single duck may have seemed, we didn't think it was enough to make shepherd's pie.

Actually, if lamb makes shepherd's pie and beef makes cottage pie, what does duck make?

I'll christen this dish Coop Pie. I'll go and trademark that.

(Although, coops are more associated with chicken. Fine, Coop Pie for chicken and Duck Coop Pie for duck. There you go.)


TS' Duck Coop Pie


[ts]
After a bit of time after our first duck, JS bought two ducks. The two duckies were both used for this dish.

Of course, before we could make my Duck Coop Pie, we did the requisite rendering of the fat, making of the broth and shredding of the meat. Then, I turned to the Joy of Cooking for a shepherd's pie recipe and gathered that the filling simply calls for cooking some vegetables and meat in broth, then thickening with flour. OK, then. I put the book away. I was ready.

But first, the mashed potatoes. I boiled some potatoes; we had russets on hand. I didn't bother peeling them. When they were done, I drained them and proceeded to mash. I used some duck broth and duck fat, but actually, most of the liquid I used was simply the water in which the potatoes were cooked.



[ts]
Our cupboards were practically bare when I decided to make this, but I was too lazy to go out and buy anything. So, for my aromatics, it was just some onions and celery (carrots too, if we had them). That weird nubby thing in the middle is a star anise arm. I figure I'd add it for a certain je ne sais quoi.



After letting them soften, I added my shredded duck meat, then frozen peas and corn. After heating them through, I added duck broth and let it boil for a little bit. The flour went in next. I let the mixture cook until it thickened.




left: duck broth; right: duck mixture + broth + flour



[ts]
Next, the assembly!

The filling went into a glass baking pan, topped with the mashed potatoes.



I didn't know what kind of pattern to do for the mashed potato top, so I ended up with this weirdo-abstract one. I also debated whether or not to do the dotting-with-mini-pats-of-butter technique for the top. As you can see, the butter won.



Into the oven: 350F for about __ minutes, until the filling was hot and bubbling. I had the foresight to put the pan on a cookie sheet. Smart. See that filling spilling over?



[ts]
This Duck Coop Pie was superb!

The filling was super flavorful; one needed only a little to flavor a whole mass of mashed potatoes. Good thing I made that mashed potato layer really thick.



[js]
The filling was really ever-so-flavourful and the duck shone through all of the mashed potatoes on top. The mashed potatoes were so light and fluffy that I felt the dish wouldn't have suffered if there were even more mashed potatoes. I guess this is one way to stretch food dollars.

As with our other duck dish (tortellini in brodo), the coop pie tasted very "Chinese," very familiar that our parents -- who normally would not eat shepherd's or cottage pie -- liked it. Or perhaps they just didn't have any choice, given that it was one of those lean days for us when there's only one thing on the table. This particular day, it was only the duck coop pie.

Our parents did go for seconds and thirds, so they must have enjoyed the pie. And the children like it too, so this one's a winner.




[eatingclub] vancouver Duck dishes:
Duck Shepherd's Pie, or "Duck Coop Pie"
Duck and Orange Crêpes with Orange-White Wine SauceDuck Stock Risotto with Portobello & Chard, with Hazelnut Gremolata
Shredded Duck and Rice Noodle Soup

And of course, our $5 Utility Duck Series, where all the following were made using one duck:
Duck Breast with Pomegranate-Chipotle Glaze and Guava-Jalapeño Salad
Duck (Interim)
Roast Duck Legs with Cabbage-Portobello Pappardelle
Duck Fat Potatoes
Duck Tortellini in Brodo