Recipe: Atlas' Cassoulet

Leave it to the French to come up with the perfect winter comfort food, and leave it to Atlas to produce one of the tastiest versions in town – so tasty, in fact, that this hearty bean casserole's got groupies: a dedicated following of local diners who eagerly anticipate its appearance on chef Michael Roberts' winter menu each year.

Cassoulet
Courtesy of Atlas' Michael Roberts
8 servings

1 lb. lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil for searing
1 cup white wine
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
4 bay leaves1 head garlic
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 cups dried flageolet beans, soaked overnight
1 smoked ham hock
1 bunch fresh thyme
4 links Toulouse or other garlic sausage
Duck leg and thigh confit (recipe follows)
2 cups plain bread crumbs
¹/³ cup olive oil, plus extra for sautéing
1 can whole plum tomatoes, drained, seeded and halved

• Prepare the lamb: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Coat the bottom of a Dutch oven with olive oil and sear the lamb. Add the white wine; 1¼ cups chicken stock; 2 bay leaves; ¹/³ of the garlic cloves, chopped; and ¹/³ each of the chopped onion, celery and carrot. Cover the pot and bake for 1 to 1½ hours or until the lamb is tender.

• Prepare the beans: Drain the beans, place them in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and then drain again. Add the beans back to the pot and add the ham hock; 2 bay leaves; thyme; all but 2 of the garlic cloves, chopped; and remaining chicken stock, onion, celery and carrot. Simmer until the beans are tender. Add salt to taste. Leave the beans in the cooking liquid. 

• In a sauté pan, grill the sausage links until cooked through.

• Remove the duck confit pieces from the fat and cut each piece in half, leaving the bone in.

• In a sauté pan, combine the bread crumbs, olive oil and 2 cloves chopped garlic; mix well. Toast over low heat until golden brown.

• Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

• Assemble the cassoulet: Cover the bottom of a shallow, earthenware casserole dish with a layer of beans and some of their cooking liquid, taking care to leave out the onion, carrot and celery pieces. Add the tomato halves. Next add the sausage, lamb and confit pieces. Cover the meats with more beans and cooking liquid, again taking care to leave out the onion, carrot and celery. The cassoulet should be somewhat soupy. Top with the toasted bread crumbs.

• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cassoulet is brown and bubbly.

Duck Confit
Courtesy of Atlas' Michael Roberts

4 duck legs
4 duck thighs
Kosher salt
1 head garlic, cloves sliced
12 sprigs fresh thyme
4 whole cloves
1 tub duck fat

• In a large bowl, liberally salt the duck pieces. Add the sliced garlic, thyme and cloves, and mix. 

• Transfer the duck mixture to a shallow pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 3 days. 

• Remove the duck from the refrigerator, and brush the salt and spices from the duck pieces. Place the duck pieces in a Dutch oven.

• In a saucepan, melt the duck fat over very low heat, stirring occasionally. 

• Pour the fat over the duck, enough to cover. Poach over very low heat on the stovetop – don’t allow the fat to boil, the mixture should barely simmer – for roughly 1 hour or until the fat is clear and the duck almost falls from the bone when touched.