Slow-Baked Cassoulet de Toulouse with Confit Duck and Garlic Breadcrumb Crust

⏱ 240 min · Serves 6

The great southwest French one-pot: creamy haricot beans slow-cooked in duck fat and rich pork stock, crowned with crisp-skinned confit duck legs, coils of herby Toulouse sausage and a golden garlic crumb. It takes a lazy weekend afternoon and rewards you with the most comforting thing you'll eat all year.

Per serving: 978 kcal · 58.0g protein · 54.0g carbs · 58.0g fat

Ingredients

• 500g dried haricot or cannellini beans, soaked overnight
• 4 confit duck legs (shop-bought or home-confited), plus 3 tbsp duck fat from the jar
• 500g Toulouse sausage (about 4 links or one coil)
• 250g pork belly, skin removed, cut into 3cm chunks
• 150g smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, cut into lardons
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, 4 crushed and 2 finely grated
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1.2 litres chicken or pork stock, hot
• 1 bouquet garni (2 bay leaves, 4 thyme sprigs, parsley stalks, tied)
• 4 cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
• 80g coarse fresh breadcrumbs (day-old sourdough is ideal)
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Drain the soaked beans, put in a large pan with cold water to cover by 5cm, bring to the boil and skim. Add the bacon lardons, pork belly, bouquet garni and cloves. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 45 minutes until the beans are just tender but not collapsing. Reserve the beans and meat, keeping the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp duck fat in a wide casserole. Brown the Toulouse sausages all over, then set aside and cut into thick 5cm lengths. Wipe the pan.
3. Add another tbsp duck fat and gently sweat the onion, carrots and crushed garlic for 10 minutes until soft and sweet. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and cracked peppercorns and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Tip in the drained beans, pork belly and bacon. Add the stock plus enough bean liquid to just cover. Season carefully (the confit is salty) and bring to a simmer.
5. Heat the oven to 150C fan / 170C. Nestle the sausage pieces into the beans. Scrape excess fat from the duck legs and tuck them in skin-side up, sitting proud of the liquid. Bake uncovered for 1 hour 30 minutes.
6. A golden crust will form. Break it gently with the back of a spoon and press it under the surface — do this twice more over the next 45 minutes, adding a ladle of bean liquid or stock if it looks dry. The duck skin should stay above the liquid and crisp.
7. Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated garlic, parsley and the last tbsp of melted duck fat. Scatter over the cassoulet (avoiding the duck skin) and bake a final 20-25 minutes until deep golden and crunchy.
8. Rest 15 minutes before serving. Bring the whole dish to the table with a green salad sharply dressed in Dijon vinaigrette and plenty of red wine.