Cheat’s French Style Duck Cassoulet Recipe From Great British Chefs

Great British Chefs blogger Karen Burns-Booth loves Cassoulet, a hearty bean casserole from SW France which is quintessential comfort food; the recipe is named after the dish it is typically cooked in, a “Cassole”, which is a deep earthenware dish that is glazed with slanting sides…..however, any earthenware or cast iron dish is suitable for cooking this recipe.

Cassoulet is a very filling recipe and it takes a lot of time to make; it always has beans in it, which are the binding ingredient in the recipe. The meat element in the dish very much depends on where you come from in SW France. Duck or goose is nearly always added as well as sausages, but a cassoulet from Toulouse will comprise mutton and pork in addition to the ingredients above.

And, if you hail from Carcassonne or Castelnaudary, then you will probably add confit d ’canard (preserved duck) as well as fresh sausages and meat. Lardons or smoked pork are also favourite ingredients in this delicious French dish. Other additions are pork fat, carrots, onions and tomatoes, as well as wine and bouquet garni.

Whereas it is very satisfying to make a classic cassoulet, it is extremely meat heavy and you also have to start preparing the recipe the day before you intend to eat it……so, what is needed is a “Cheat’s” version that has all the elements of a traditional French cassoulet with beans, tomatoes, wine & sausages, but that includes fresh Gressingham duck legs in place of confit d ‘canard – a sort of Franglais cassoulet if you will!

The recipe I am sharing today is for just that – a 'Cheat’s' French Style Cassoulet with Gressingham Duck and prime British pork sausages. And, a recipe that uses convenient tinned beans in place of dried ones; this cuts back on the time considerably and you will still be rewarded with a bowl of herb fragrant beans in a wine enriched stock with crispy skinned duck legs and golden brown sausages…..a bowl of food with more than a hint of SW France about it, and all made in just over an hour – perfect for a comforting mid-week or weekend family meal.

'Cheat’s' French Style Cassoulet with Gressingham Duck

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

50g smoked lardons or streaky bacon, chopped into small dice

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 high meat content pork sausages

4 Gressingham duck legs

400g tinned beans, white haricot or cannellini beans

1 onion, peeled & diced

400g chopped tomatoes

200ml chicken stock

100ml red wine

2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced

50g breadcrumbs (fresh are best)

1 bouquet garni

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the lardons or bacon until nearly crisp and then add the onions and garlic. Cook over a low heat until they are just soft on the outside and are translucent. Drain well and remove from pan. Add to a Le Creuset casserole or earthenware dish.

2. Put the sausages into the same frying pan and brown them. Set them aside and then add the Gressingham duck legs, removing them when the skin is crisp and golden brown. Set them aside with the sausages.

3. Add the wine to the hot chicken stock, and then add the chopped tomatoes. Pour the stock and tomatoes over the bacon and onion mixture and then add the bouquet garni and give everything a good stir. Add the beans and stir well again before placing the sausages and duck legs on top of the bean mixture.

4. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and cook in a pre-heated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the duck legs and sausages are cooked.

5. Serve with crusty bread or mashed potatoes with seasonal greens.

© Karen Burns-Booth for Great British Chefs / Gressingham Duck, October 2014