Cassoulet

A rustic French casserole of white beans, crisp bacon, and browned sausage, simmered with wine and aromatics, then baked uncovered until a golden crust forms on top.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 3 (15 oz) cans white beans (cannellini, great northern, or navy), low-sodium preferred, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon duck fat or olive oil
• 8 oz lardons or thick-cut bacon, cut into strips
• 2 lbs Toulouse sausage (see introduction for substitutes), cut into chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1½ cups dry white wine (about 2 glasses)
• 1½ cups chicken or pork stock, plus more if needed
• 2 bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme
• 2-4 duck or goose confit legs (optional — see note)
• A handful of chopped fresh parsley, to finish
• Crusty bread, to serve

Braising

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Method

The sausage carries the dish, so pick one that fits. Toulouse sausage — a coarse, garlicky French pork sausage — is traditional, but British bangers, a plain garlic sausage, or any mild pork sausage will stand in fine. Avoid Italian fennel sausage; its anise flavor takes over the pot. Duck or goose confit is the classic addition and worth using if you can find it, but cassoulet was a poor man's bean pot long before it was a restaurant dish, and it's genuinely good made with just bacon and sausage. Make it with what you can get — just don't skip the beans.

Brown the meats

Heat the duck fat or oil in a heavy oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add the lardons or bacon and cook until the fat renders and they're lightly crisp, then remove and set aside, leaving the fat behind. Raise the heat to medium-high and brown the sausage in the rendered fat, in batches and without crowding, until colored on all sides, then remove and set aside.

Build the braise

Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot, and sweat until soft and glassy. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute, then stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more. Pour in the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, and let it reduce by about half. Return the bacon and sausage to the pot, then add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme — the liquid should sit below the top of the solids, not cover them; add a little more stock only if needed. Bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered for about 30–40 minutes to let the flavors meld. Keep it uncovered the whole way — cassoulet should never be covered, so the liquid reduces and a skin forms on top instead of steaming.

Add the beans, then bake

Stir in the drained beans and cook, still uncovered, for another 20–30 minutes, until they've drunk up the liquid and the pot has thickened, adding a splash of stock if it looks dry. Taste and adjust the salt near the end — canned beans, bacon, and sausage are already salty, so wait until now. If using confit, set the legs skin side up on a rack in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes while the cassoulet finishes, which warms them through and lets the excess fat run off so it doesn't turn the pot greasy, then nestle the warmed legs on top, skin side up, so the skin sits above the surface and crisps rather than sinking in. Bake at 375°F until the top has set and browned and the confit skin is crisp, 20–30 minutes, then let it rest a few minutes, finish with chopped parsley, and serve with crusty bread.