Duck Confit Cassoulet Recipe
white beans, garlic sausage, toasted bread crumbs
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Ingredients
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Duck Confit
Beans & Stew Base
Sausage & Toppings
Method
Duck Confit
- 1
Cure (optional quick cure)
If you have raw duck legs and want a confit-like flavor, pat legs dry and rub evenly with 1.5 tbs kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Place in a dish with smashed garlic cloves and thyme sprigs; refrigerate uncovered 6–12 hours. Rinse briefly and pat dry before proceeding. (If using pre-made confit, skip to step for warming.)
- 2
Slow-cook in fat
Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C). Place duck legs in a deep ovenproof pan in a single layer. Add smashed garlic and bay leaves. Pour enough duck fat to almost cover the legs (about 1 cup). Cover tightly with foil or a lid and cook for 2.5–3 hours, until the meat is very tender and pulls from the bone. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Carefully transfer legs to a plate and reserve fat. Remove and discard whole garlic and bay leaves.
- 3
Shred
When cool enough to handle, remove skin and bone if desired and shred the meat into large pieces. Reserve skin pieces to crisp later if you like.
Beans & Stew Base
- 4
Soak and cook beans
Soak the 2 cups dried white beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches for 6–8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse. Place beans in a large pot, add 4 cups water, bring to a simmer and cook gently 30–40 minutes until tender but still holding shape. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
- 5
- 6
Build the stew
Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the cooked beans, 4 cups chicken or duck stock, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 1 bay leaf and 2 tbs chopped parsley. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes to marry flavors. If the mixture seems too thin, simmer uncovered a bit longer; if too thick, add a splash of reserved bean cooking liquid or stock.
- 7
Incorporate duck
Nestle shredded duck confit pieces into the bean stew, spooning some hot liquid over the meat so it warms and softens. If you reserved duck skin, crumble and add some now for flavor. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Sausage & Toppings
- 8
- 9
Prepare toasted breadcrumbs
In the skillet used for sausage, melt 2 tbs unsalted butter over medium heat. Add torn bread pieces and cook, stirring, until they become dry and golden, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in 1 tbs chopped parsley, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of black pepper. Continue to toast until crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.
- 10
Assemble and finish (optional gratin)
Preheat oven broiler. Spoon the bean, duck and sausage mixture into individual ovenproof cassolettes or a shallow baking dish. Scatter the toasted breadcrumbs evenly across the top. If you like a gratin, dot a few small pieces of butter or a light sprinkle of extra cheese. Place under the broiler 2–4 minutes until crumbs are golden and crisp — watch carefully to avoid burning. Alternatively, serve without broiling.
- 11