Homemade cassoulet and Merlot Terre Sauvage

Ingredients

• 500 g dried lingot beans
• 4 confit duck legs
• 400 g Toulouse sausage
• 300 g pork shoulder
• 150 g pork rind
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley)
• 2 tablespoons duck fat
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. 1

   The day before, soak the beans for 12 hours in plenty of cold water.

2. 2

   Drain the beans, cover them with cold water, bring to the boil for 5 minutes, then drain them again.

3. 3

   Return them to a large pot with the pork rind cut into strips, the onion, the carrot, 2 garlic cloves and the bouquet garni. Cover with water, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hr 15 min without boiling. Season with salt at the end of cooking and keep the stock.

4. 4

   Meanwhile, gently warm the confit duck legs in a sauté pan to melt their fat, then set them aside.

5. 5

   In 2 tablespoons of duck fat, brown the pork shoulder cut into large cubes, then the sausage cut into 5 cm lengths.

6. 6

   Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Rub the inside of a cassole (or an earthenware casserole) with the remaining 2 garlic cloves.

7. 7

   Lay the pork rind on the bottom, then alternate layers of beans and meat, finishing with beans. Remove the onion, carrot and bouquet garni. Pour in stock to just cover and season with pepper.

8. 8

   Bake for 2 hr 30 min. Each time a golden crust forms, gently push it down with the back of a spoon, at least three times, adding a little stock if the cassoulet dries out.

9. 9

   Serve piping hot, straight from the cassole.