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Course
Small Bites
Duration
3 to 5 hours
Serves
12 baskets
Chef’s notes
Confit is a classic French preparation of cooking meat in its own fat to create a succulent fall-apart dish. It's often used with duck legs and duck fat, but bear meat and grease also work exceptionally well. To learn more about the technique, check out this article.
These crispy potato baskets filled with confit bear meat are the perfect appetizer to serve to intrepid guests at your next party or on game day. Much like when Yogi Bear is around, these picnic baskets will disappear quickly!
Ingredients
For the Bear Confit
- 1 lb. bear meat, cubed
- Kosher salt
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ lb. bear fat
For the Baskets
- 1½ lbs. Yukon gold potatoes (about 4 medium)
- 2 tbsp. bear fat, or melted butter
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
- Creme fraiche or thick sour cream
- Chives for garnish
Also works with
Any tough cut
Preparation
For the Confit
- Preheat oven to 225°F.
- Add bear meat and thyme sprigs to an oven-proof dish where it fits quite snugly. Season the meat generously with salt. Melt the bear fat and pour over the meat, ensuring that the fat rises above the meat (top off with pork lard, duck fat, or butter if you don’t have enough).
- Put the dish in the oven and cook for about 3 to 5 hours, or until bear meat falls apart when pressed with a fork.
- Let cool (ensuring that bear meat is sitting below the fat), then transfer the entire dish to the refrigerator. Let sit overnight or for up to a week.
- When ready to cook, gently heat the dish up so that the fat melts and the meat is accessible.
For the Baskets
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Shred the washed, unpeeled potatoes using the large holes on a cheese grater.
- Take handfuls of the shredded potatoes and squeeze vigorously over the sink. Transfer the wrung-out shreds to a bowl. If this is too hard on your hands, add a big handful to a clean towel and twist the towel closed, squeezing out any liquid.
- Add the salt, pepper, and melted bear fat (or butter) to the potatoes and mix very well.
- Lightly grease a muffin tin and add an equal amount of shredded potatoes to each hole. Press the potatoes to the bottoms and sides with your fingers, creating little baskets.
- Put in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Drop temperature to 350°F and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are nice and browned (the bottom of the potato “well” will likely remain un-browned). If the top bits of potato burn, simply snip them off with scissors.
- Meanwhile, pour about 2 teaspoons of the liquid fat into a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bear meat and mash with a fork, breaking it up into shreds. Cook for 5 minutes or until the meat is browned and crispy. Add the maple syrup and hot sauce and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
- Add the bear meat to the potato baskets and spoon on a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream. Top with chives and serve.
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Chef’s notes
Confit is a classic French preparation of cooking meat in its own fat to create a succulent fall-apart dish. It's often used with duck legs and duck fat, but bear meat and grease also work exceptionally well. To learn more about the technique, check out this article.
These crispy potato baskets filled with confit bear meat are the perfect appetizer to serve to intrepid guests at your next party or on game day. Much like when Yogi Bear is around, these picnic baskets will disappear quickly!
Ingredients
For the Bear Confit
- 1 lb. bear meat, cubed
- Kosher salt
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ lb. bear fat
For the Baskets
- 1½ lbs. Yukon gold potatoes (about 4 medium)
- 2 tbsp. bear fat, or melted butter
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
- Creme fraiche or thick sour cream
- Chives for garnish
Also works with
Any tough cut
Preparation
For the Confit
- Preheat oven to 225°F.
- Add bear meat and thyme sprigs to an oven-proof dish where it fits quite snugly. Season the meat generously with salt. Melt the bear fat and pour over the meat, ensuring that the fat rises above the meat (top off with pork lard, duck fat, or butter if you don’t have enough).
- Put the dish in the oven and cook for about 3 to 5 hours, or until bear meat falls apart when pressed with a fork.
- Let cool (ensuring that bear meat is sitting below the fat), then transfer the entire dish to the refrigerator. Let sit overnight or for up to a week.
- When ready to cook, gently heat the dish up so that the fat melts and the meat is accessible.
For the Baskets
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Shred the washed, unpeeled potatoes using the large holes on a cheese grater.
- Take handfuls of the shredded potatoes and squeeze vigorously over the sink. Transfer the wrung-out shreds to a bowl. If this is too hard on your hands, add a big handful to a clean towel and twist the towel closed, squeezing out any liquid.
- Add the salt, pepper, and melted bear fat (or butter) to the potatoes and mix very well.
- Lightly grease a muffin tin and add an equal amount of shredded potatoes to each hole. Press the potatoes to the bottoms and sides with your fingers, creating little baskets.
- Put in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Drop temperature to 350°F and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are nice and browned (the bottom of the potato “well” will likely remain un-browned). If the top bits of potato burn, simply snip them off with scissors.
- Meanwhile, pour about 2 teaspoons of the liquid fat into a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bear meat and mash with a fork, breaking it up into shreds. Cook for 5 minutes or until the meat is browned and crispy. Add the maple syrup and hot sauce and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
- Add the bear meat to the potato baskets and spoon on a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream. Top with chives and serve.