Cajun Duck Cassoulet
Serves 4 (and yields extra duck confit & stewed beans*)
Ingredients
For Duck Confit
- 8-10 ducks legs
- salt & pepper for seasoning
- 1½ cups olive oil
- 1½ cups duck fat (or use additional olive oil)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp ginger, sliced
- 10 cloves garlic, whole
For Cassoulet
- 1 qt dried red kidney beans
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 5-8 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 3" piece of ginger, peeled & thinly sliced
- 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup Spanish onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 2 cups andouille sausage, sliced ½" thick + ½ link, split
- 2 tbsp jerk seasoning
- 2 tbsp dark chili powder
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp ginger powder
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 qts chicken stock
- 1 qt water
- 2 tbsp duck fat (reserved from duck confit)
- ½ cup croutons (cornbread suggested)
- olive oil for drizzling
How-to
Day Ahead Preparations - Soak Beans & Make Duck Confit
- Soak beans in water overnight
- Preheat oven to 300º
- Season duck legs with salt & pepper. Place in a large, shallow baking dish with garlic cloves, sliced ginger & thyme
- Top with duck fat and olive oil (if duck fat cannot be found, more olive oil can be used in place)
- Bake, uncovered 1-1¼ hours. Remove and allow to cool. Reserve 2 tbsp fat for cooking
Assemble & Finish Cassoulet
- Preheat oven to 450º
- Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
- Sauté ginger, garlic and jalapeno pepper for 2 minutes
- Add bell pepper, onion and celery. Soften for 3-5 minutes
- Add sliced andouille and saute for 2 minutes
- Drain the kidney beans and add to the pot
- Add spices, thyme sprigs and stir. Pour in chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 1-1¼ hours until the beans are tender, and the mixture has slightly thickened
- Heat reserved fat from duck confit in saute pan over medium-high heat
- Salt both sides of 2-4 confit duck legs and add to pan
- Add split andouille sausage to pan, split-side down. Sear both duck and sausage 2 minutes per side
- Ladle bean mixture into oven-proof serving dish (or individual, smaller dishes such as clay cazuelas). (There will be extra beans left over.) Top with croutons and bake 3-5 minutes
- Remove from oven and garnish with fresh thyme and a drizzle of olive oil for sheen
*Note: The recipe yields extra duck confit and stewed beans. Keep duck in refrigerator submerged in fat, and use for a variety of dishes, for example, seared, pulled and served atop salad greens, etc. The stewed beans can be served as an entree atop rice