Though you won’t find this dish in the “30 or Less” category, soothing comfort food like this is worth every minute and still takes under an hour, versus all day for a traditional cassoulet. If you don’t have an oven-safe pan, transfer the cassoulet to a casserole dish for baking. I like to serve it in small, rustic-looking cast iron pots.

A cassoulet without some form of duck is sacrilege, however duck sausage in place of the breast would still be tasty. Slice the sausage and cook it along with the ham, baking it with the bean mixture.

When you read the part about pouring the rendered duck fat into the cassoulet, don’t be alarmed. First of all, when it comes to getting flavour from fat, duck is the holy grail. Second, this is natural fat, not chemically-processed oil like canola. Eat it in moderation and enjoy!

Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

8 ounces ham – cubed to ½”
2 stalks celery – chopped
2 carrots – chopped
1 large onion- chopped
4 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 – 14 ounce cans navy beans – rinsed and drained
½ cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons fresh thyme – finely chopped
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 ounce duck breast – skin scored in a cross-hatch pattern
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375F while working on the next step.

Place a deep cast pan over high heat and add the ham, stirring occasionally for five minutes.

Place the celery, onion, garlic and carrots into the pan, stirring often for seven minutes.

Gently stir in the beans, stock, thyme and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Remove the pan from the burner and place in the oven. Cook uncovered for thirty minutes, stirring every ten minutes.

While the cassoulet is baking, season the duck breast on both sides with the salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place the duck skin side down in a small, cold frying pan and place over medium low heat for fifteen minutes. Turn the duck breast and cook for an additional three minutes. Remove the breast from he pan, setting aside to rest.

Before the last ten minutes of baking, stir the duck fat from the frying pan into the cassoulet and return it to the oven. Remove the cassoulet once the thirty minutes of baking are complete and serve in bowls.

Slice the duck breast diagonally and serve on top of the cassoulet.

Get the PDF and nutrition info

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