DUCK CASSOULET

INGREDIENTS

2 toulouse sausages

2 duck breasts

½ yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled & diced

4 cloves garlic

½ of a 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

16 oz chicken stock

15.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

½ stick unsalted butter, cubed

½ bunch Italian parsley, leaves chopped

1 cup croutons

salt & pepper to taste

optional: 8 oz shredded pork

Optional: 2 - 4 bay leaves 

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season the duck on both sides with salt and pepper and render the duck, skin-side down, in a cast iron skillet (or any heavy bottom pan will work) heated to medium-high without oil. Pay attention to the skin, and flip once it turns a light golden brown, about 7 minutes. Let cook for 1 minute then pull and set aside. The breasts will still be rare, which is okay, as the duck will fully cook in the oven. 

Add the sausages to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on both sides. Nestle them along the edge of the pan so they don’t get too hot and explode. Pull and side aside to cool. They will still be raw, and that’s okay. Drain some of the fat out, leaving about 2 tablespoons of fat left in the pan You’ll use this to cook your vegetables.

Dice onion, carrots, and garlic. Add to the pan and sweat the vegetables in the duck and sausage fat for about 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the smoked pork shoulder and mix to combine. Add ½ can of diced tomatoes and let cook. Watch for the liquid from the tomatoes to render out before adding the beans and the chicken stock. Simmer everything together for 5 minutes. 

To make the cassoulet nice and rich, add the cubed butter to the pan. Add the parsley and stir. 

Once the sausage has cooled, chop into bite sized pieces and add to the pan. Let it continue to cook for about 2 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Simmer until the liquid reduces by about 25%, then add the duck breasts into the sauce, skin-side up. Submerge the duck breasts about halfway into the liquid.

Transfer to a 375 degree oven and cook for 10 - 12 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the sauce has thickened and looks more like a stew than a soup. Pull it, remove the duck breasts and set them aside to rest and slice. Add a handful of croutons to the cassoulet. Give it a good mix with a spoon.

Let the duck cool for ⅓ the amount of time it cook to cook them, in this case, about 4 minutes. Slice the duck into quarter-inch thick pieces. Fan the sliced meat on top of the cassoulet. Serve and enjoy.