Ingredients

  • 2 Gressingham duck legs (or 2 confit duck legs)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 stick of celery, trimmed and quartered
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 100g smoked bacon, cut into lardons
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 200ml chicken stock (fresh or made from bouillon)
  • 175ml white wine
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin of cannellini beans, drained
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°c or 180°c fan. Dry the duck legs well with kitchen paper. Using a skewer or sharp knife, prick the skin all over and season well with salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting tin and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish on a low to medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and bacon lardons. Gently cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and chicken stock. Continue to cook until the sauce starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan and scrape up any sticky goodness.
  3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, cannellini beans, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Season to taste. When the duck legs have had 30 minutes, remove them from the oven, turning the temperature down to 180°c or 160°c fan, and carefully place them into the casserole dish on top of the sauce. If you are using confit duck, it can be added at this stage.
  4. Place the casserole dish into the oven to finish cooking for 40 minutes. Place the cassoulet into the middle of the table to share and serve with plenty of crusty bread.