We’ve been asked quite a few times for the recipe for Duck Lasagne – I’ve always been a bit vague with my answers though and then have often wondered if anyone actually ever tried to make it after my garbled instructions and if so how they actually got on.
The reason for this is quite simple – we don’t have a recipe. It’s one of those dishes which changes every time we make it with one of us always asking the other if we can remember what we put in it the last time!
Anyway, here goes…!! Not to worry if you’re as slap dash with the ingredients as we are – it’s always tasted just fine for us and it won’t really make an awful lot of difference . Just go with the general idea 😉
Duck confit lasagne
Ingredients
- 2 tins confit duck legs ( 4 – 5 legs in each tin
- 1 big onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes ( 400g)
- tomato puree
- pouring crème fraiche
- grated parmesan
- grated gruyère
- mixed herbs/bay leaf/salt/pepper/nutmeg
- ready to use lasagne sheets
Method
(Hint – leave the tins of duck out in the sun or in a warm oven until the fat melts, then pour it off into a container – keep in the fridge & use to roast potatoes…delicious!)
Drain fat & skin the duck legs. Shred the duck meat.
Duck confit skinned and shredded
Fry onion and garlic then add the shredded duck meat, tomatoes, some tomato puree ( about a generous teaspoonful), mixed herbs, bay leaf and water if necessary to get a good consistency – thick liquid and not too runny! Season with salt & pepper. The tinned duck is already cooked so just heat the mixture until hot.
Filling for the lasagne
Spread one third of the mixture on to the bottom of a gratin dish – ours is 33cms x 27 cms . Cover with a layer of lasagne and then spread another third of the mixture on top. Drizzle over some crème fraiche ( there’s no bechamel sauce in this lasagne so the crème fraiche stops it from being too dry) then add another layer of lasagne.
Add the last third of the meat mixture and cover with a thin layer of roughly grated parmesan cheese. Add the last layer of lasagne, cover with grated gruyère cheese and pour over some more crème fraiche. Grate a small amount of fresh nutmeg over the top and cook in the oven for 20/25 minutes at 190°C.
Voilà!!
serve with lots of green salad and a good bottle of red wine!
fantastic – thanks so much for taking the time to do this…. this is such a fantastic dish and you have made it sound easy!! – here’s hoping mine turns out as wonderful and memorable as yours! Best wishes to the family xxx
Thanks Shona! It does sound ridiculous not knowing how you make something but it is true, it’s different every time! Please do let us know how yours turns out!!
Ah yes – and delicious it is too! You forgot a liberal sprinkling of Djelil hospitality, topped with Dordogne sunshine to taste, and serve on a Les Crouquets terrace of your choice. Roll on July!!!
🙂 Roll on July indeed! We must look out some other new recipes to share & chat over long into the balmy Summer evenings!!
what a different interpretation for a classic lasagne dish, that’s what creative chefs do!
Oh, boy, that looks scrummy! I’ll be trying it out on my Epicurian french neighbour soon.
🙂 Do let us know how it turns out!!
Trying tonight. Thanks for your lovely comment – much appreciated 🙂
Wow, I so enjoyed your duck lasagne this summer, I thought I’m going to make it when I get home, for friends. They are coming round on Saturday, we have bought the confit, and then I suddenly thought oh no the recipe! So I googled it and you were top of the list!!!! fantastic! I will so enjoy making it to your recipe! Thank you, I had no idea it was on your website. Have you had anymore curries!?
Clare x
That’s great Clare! Hope your lasagne turned out well and good to see the search engines are working!! No we haven’t had any more curries as yet (except one at a fantastic Indian restaurant in Bordeaux!) but the last guests left yesterday so we’ll have some time now to try out recipes! Hope you are all well!