Stuffed pig's trotters with potato purée

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Pierre Koffmann's stuffed pig's trotter recipe is a true classic, one of the French master's signature dishes from his days at La Tante Claire, where he held three Michelin stars. Pierre serves the dish with crispy pig's skin and pomme purée, made with duck fat for a sublime richness.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pig's trotters

Crispy pig's skin

Stuffing

Sauce

Potato purée

Equipment

  • Drum sieve
  • Blender
  • Butcher's string

Method

1
To begin, prepare the crispy pig’s skin. Roll up the skin, tie tightly with butchers’ string and place in a large pan. Cover with water and add the vegetables, clove and bouquet garni, then season and gently simmer for 3 hours, making sure that the water does not boil. Skim away any impurities that rise to the surface. Leave the skin to cool in the cooking liquid, then cut off the string and roll tightly in cling film. Allow to set in the fridge
2
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3. Add the trotters to a large, heavy casserole dish with the wine, onions, carrots, veal stock and port. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 3 hours, topping up with a little more stock and wine if necessary
3
To make the stuffing, add a dash of oil to a very hot frying pan. Once hot, add the sweetbreads and fry until crispy and golden on the outside
4
When nearly cooked through, add the onion to the pan and cook until soft but without colour. Chop the soaked morels, add them to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season well and allow to cool
5
To make the chicken mousse for the stuffing, add the diced chicken breast to a blender and blitz until smooth with the egg white, cream, salt and pepper. Pass through a drum sieve to achieve a perfectly smooth purée
6
Combine the chicken mousse with the cooled sweetbread mix and set aside in the fridge until ready to stuff the trotters
7
Once cooked, lay each trotter flat on a sheet of foil and leave to cool. Once completely cool, divide the stuffing between the trotters and roll them firmly around the filling to ensure there is no air trapped inside. Roll up the sheets of foil to cover and tightly seal the trotters in a neat cylindrical shape. Store in the fridge to firm up for at least 2 hours
8
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3. Using a meat slicer or very sharp bread knife, cut the rolled skin into very thin rounds and lay each piece on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, then place another baking sheet on top to keep the rounds flat. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until crisp and golden
9
To make the sauce, add a dash of oil to a pan and place the pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the shallots and fry gently until soft and very lightly golden. Add the port and Madeira to deglaze the pan and reduce the liquid by half. Add the veal stock and reduce again to a rich sauce consistency. Whisk in knobs of the butter until glossy, season to taste and keep warm
10
To prepare the potato purée, add the potatoes to a large pan and cover with water. Season with salt, bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain the potatoes and mash to make a purée. Add the milk to a pan, bring to the boil then pour on to the potatoes along with the duck fat. Mix thoroughly to combine then season and keep warm
11
Remove the trotters from the fridge and, still wrapped in the foil, place them in a steamer. Set over simmering water for 15 minutes, or until heated through. Alternatively, add to a casserole dish with 100ml of water and place them in an oven heated to 220°C/gas mark 7 for 15 minutes
12
To serve, place the trotters onto serving plates and peel off the tin foil. Arrange a portion of hot mash next to each trotter and add a couple of pieces of crispy pig’s skin to the mash. Pour the sauce over the trotters and serve immediately
First published in 2015

Pierre Koffmann's cooking is undeniably refined; classical yet humble, with provincial French touches grounding the skilful elegance of the food. Taking inspiration from his Gascon roots, Pierre artfully extracts extraordinary flavour from ordinary ingredients and cuts.

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