Growing Chefs! Ontario Wild Mushroom and Duck Confit Poutine

Wild Mushroom and Duck Confit Poutine

This recipe takes poutine up a notch with a classic pairing of duck and mushrooms. Try your best not to use button mushrooms or creminis only, they are just not very interesting. We like to use dried mushrooms which reconstitute easily, and add a lot of flavour.”
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 leg duck confit, shredded4 ozs dried mixed mushrooms, or 1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms1/4 cup duck fat1/4 cup butter1/2 cup flour5 cups beef stock1/2 cup white wine1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped4 large Yukon gold potatoes2 cups cheese curds Additional duck fat for roasting potatoes Pepper to taste Salt to taste
Equipment
Cutting boardChef knifeMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsWhiskSpatulaBaking sheetParchment paperFine strainerTongsLarge potBowls of various sizesTasting spoonsClean dish towel

Directions

Get Organized!

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Remove as much meat from the confit duck leg as possible, and finely shred it.

Measure out mushrooms, and if dried soak in warm water to cover for 30 minutes to reconstitute them. Strain out the mushrooms and do not discard the soaking liquid. Chop the mushrooms so they are in smaller pieces.

Measure out the duck fat, butter, flour, wine, and beef stock.

Finely chop the leaves from 1 sprig of rosemary.

Cut the potatoes into large wedges to cook. Toss with duck fat and season with salt and pepper. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Get Cooking!

Preheat the oven to 400F, and cook the potatoes for 3540 minutes until they are browned and crispy, flipping halfway through the cook time.

Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add the duck fat and the butter. Cook the mushrooms and add the rosemary, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Cook 4 – 5 minutes until mushrooms are slightly golden and cooked through.

Strain the mushroom liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Measure out 1 cup of liquid.

Add all of the flour and stir continually to form a roux. Cook for 2 minutes, and then add the white wine, reserved mushroom soaking liquid and the beef stock. Cook for 5 minutes until gravity is nice and thick. Mix in the shredded duck. Season with pepper and salt to taste.

To finish, place some fries on a plate and sprinkle with cheese curds. Add gravy to taste and enjoy!