Best Duck Sausage Recipes

DUCK AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Rinse the duck under cold running water both inside and out. Remove any excess fat at the cavity opening and at the neck. Use a sharp boning or butcher's knife to cut the back on either side of the spine. Remove the spine and reserve for stock. Cut through the breastbone of the duck to give you 2 halves. Cut the legs from each half as well as the first 2 digits of the wings. Set the legs aside, and cut the breasts in half horizontally.
• Season the duck with 2 teaspoons of Essence. Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hot. Place the seasoned duck, skin side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the duck over and sear on the second side as well for an additional 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and place on a platter while you make the roux.
• Add the vegetable oil to the pan as well as the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir the roux continuously over medium heat until the color of dark chocolate, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the onions, celery and peppers and garlic to the roux and stir, gently until the vegetables are slightly wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the beer over the vegetables and stir to incorporate. Add the stock/water to the pan with the thyme, bay leaves, Essence, cayenne pepper and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the sausage. Stir the pot well to ensure that the roux and the stock are well blended. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the gumbo to a boil; then lower to a simmer. Return the seared duck pieces to the pan and cook (skimming any foam and fat that may rise to the surface), for 1 hour and 30 minutes. After an hour and a half, remove the duck pieces from the gumbo and place on a platter to cool. Once the duck is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and meat from the bones and add the meat to the gumbo. Discard the skin and bones and re-season the gumbo, if necessary.
• To serve the gumbo, ladle 1 cup into a heated soup bowl with 1/4 cup white rice. Garnish with the green onions and chopped parsley.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.

CASSOULET (FRENCH STEW MADE WITH DUCK AND SAUSAGE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. FOR THE BEANS: In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Saute the onions and celery for 4 minutes, or until they are slightly wilted.
• Add the beans, salt, cayenne, water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until beans are tender and most of the water is absorbed, about 2 hours.
• FOR THE MEATS: In a large oven proof skillet, over medium high heat, combine the flour and oil. Stirring constantly, make a medium brown roux.
• Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, carrots, salt and cayenne. Stirring constantly, cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are slightly wilted.
• Add the duck legs and sausages and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
• Add the chicken broth and stir the mixture until the roux and broth are combined and mixture thickens. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any brown particles. Bring to a boil. Add the beans and duck meat. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes.
• FOR THE GRATINE: In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, and olive oil. Mix well. When the bean/meat mixture is cooked, spoon the gratine evenly over the top and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon a serving of the mixture from the pan onto a plate and add garnishments.

CONFIT OF DUCK BREAST AND SAUSAGE CASSOULET

Steps:

• Drain cooked beans and pour into an electric slow cooker (4 1/2 qt or larger).
• Remove skin from duck breasts. Place breasts on a bowl and add salt and sugar. Let sit 30 minutes, refrigerated. Rinse breasts well under running water and cut meat into 1 in chunks.
• In a large skillet, brown bacon until crisp. Discard all but 1 tbs fat from skillet. Add onions and garlic to bacon and stir until onion begins to brown. Add broth and wine, bring to a boil, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet.
• Pour broth mixture into slow cooker with the beans. Add the rest of the ingredients and place duck pieces on top.Cover pot and cook for 5-6 hours.
• Uncover and add the sausage slices. Let cook for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve hot.

WILD MALLARD DUCK CASSOULET WITH DUCK CONFIT, WHITE BEANS, SURRY COUNTY SAUSAGE, BRAISED GREENS, AND POACHED DUCK FOIE GRAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the cassoulet: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add shallots, white beans, duck confit, sausage, and the reserved bean braising liquid. Simmer to blend flavors, about 15 to 20 minutes. If needed, add the reserved duck stock to maintain a sauce-like but not syrupy consistency. At the very end, add the local braising greens. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm.
• For the duck breast: Season duck with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the clarified butter. Place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down. Sear the breasts until the skin is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, add the garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and fresh butter. Bake until medium-rare, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the duck. Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
• For the foie gras: Place the portioned duck foie gras into a heavy duty freezer bag, pressing out the excess air to seal. Bring a saucepan or water to a gentle simmer. When ready to serve the dish, drop the bag of foie gras into the simmering water for about 2 minutes, until the foie gras is softened throughout.
• In a bowl, spoon the white bean ragout into the center. Allow the sauce to fill the bottom of the dish. Slice the duck breast, and place on the ragout skin side up. Open the bag of poached foie gras and season with kosher salt and white pepper. Place on top of the sliced duck breasts and enjoy.

SMOKED SAUSAGE, DUCK AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the olive oil. Season the duck pieces with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, sear the duck, fat side down for about 4 to 6 minutes. Turn over the duck and continue to sear for 4 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and celery to the pan. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne. Saute the vegetables until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and continue to saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the beans, bay leaves, and garlic. Add the duck stock, water and fresh thyme. Place the duck pieces back into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and skim off any cloudy scum that has risen to the service. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 3 hours, stirring occasionally or until the meat and beans are tender. Re-season if necessary and stir in the green onions and parsley.
• Break and crack the carcass. In a large stockpot, heat the vegetable oil. Season the bones with salt and pepper. Add the bones to the pot and brown for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Season the mixture with salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the wine and tomato paste and stir to mix. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water. Put the thyme, parsley sprigs, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth, tie it together with kitchen twine, and add it to the mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Skim off any cloudy scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and cool. Refrigerate overnight and remove any congealed fat from the surface. The stock can be stored in the freezer for 1 month.

WHITE BEAN, SAUSAGE, DUCK CONFIT CASSOULET (DAVID LEBOVITZ)

Steps:

• Rinse the beans and sort for debris. Soak them overnight covered in cold water.
• The next day, put the ham hock in a separate large pot of water, bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to a steady simmer, and cook for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender and pulls easily from the bone. Remove the ham hock from the water and set it on a plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, shred it in large, bite-size pieces, and refrigerate it. Discard the liquid.
• Drain the beans; put them in the pot you used to cook the ham hock and cover with cold water. Add the ham bones to the pot of beans along with the diced pork belly, carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring the beans to a boil, decrease the heat so the beans are simmering gently, and cook until the beans are soft and tender, about 1 hour, or longer, depending on the beans. As the water boils away during cooking, add more water as necessary. Taste the beans toward the end of cooking, add up to 1 tablespoon of salt, if necessary.
• While the beans are cooking, scrape any excess fat from the duck confit pieces (save it for making duck fat-fried potatoes, page 220) and fry them in a skillet over medium heat until they're golden brown and crisp on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes per side. (If using the Counterfeit duck confit on page 179, the duck will already be browned and ready, so there's no need to recook it for this step.)
• Transfer the duck pieces to a plate and pour off any excess duck fat from the pan. Prick the sausages a few times with a sharp knife, then fry the sausages just to brown them on the outside; they don't need to be fully cooked through. Set the sausages on the plate with the duck pieces. When cool enough to handle, cut the sausages on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces. Cut each duck thigh into three pieces; cut the drumstick off, and then use a knife to divide the thigh portion into two equal pieces, cutting it in half by holding the knife parallel to the bone.
• Transfer the duck pieces to a plate and pour off any excess duck fat from the pan. Prick the sausages a few times with a sharp knife, then fry the sausages just to brown them on the outside; they don't need to be fully cooked through. Set the sausages on the plate with the duck pieces. When cool enough to handle, cut the sausages on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces. Cut each duck thigh into three pieces; cut the drumstick off, and then use a knife to divide the thigh portion into two equal pieces, cutting it in half by holding the knife parallel to the bone.
• Puree the onion and garlic in a blender or food processor with a bit of the bean liquid until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the bean mixture, season with pepper, and taste, adding more salt if desired. (Some pork products are quite salty, so at this point, you can adjust the salt to your taste.)
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) with an oven rack to the top third of the oven.
• In a wide casserole that holds at least 8 quarts (8l) or a roasting pan, assemble the cassoulet. Ladle a layer of the bean mixture and some of the liquid into the casserole. Put half of the duck pieces and half of the sausage evenly spaced over the beans. Add another layer of beans, and then put the rest of the duck and sausage pieces over the beans. Top with the remaining beans and enough of the liquid so that the beans are just barely floating in the liquid. (Refrigerate any extra bean liquid, as you may need it later. Or if there isn't enough bean liquid, add a bit more water, just enough to moisten the beans.)
• Toss the bread crumbs with the oil until thoroughly moistened, then spread the bread crumbs evenly on top of the cassoulet. Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour. After an hour, use the side of a large spoon or a heatproof spatula to break the crust on top in several places. Decrease the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C) and bake the cassoulet for another 2 ½ hours, breaking the crust two more times while cooking. Remove the cassoulet from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. If you want to serve the cassoulet reheated, as many prefer it, let it cool to room temperature for 1 ½ hours, and then refrigerate it.
• To serve the cassoulet reheated, remove the cassoulet from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to reheat it. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Break through a piece of the top of the cassoulet, and if you don't see much liquid surrounding the beans beneath the surface, add some of the reserved bean liquid (or warm water)-just enough to moisten the insides a little, about ½ cup (125ml). Bake the cassoulet for 1 ½ hours, or until it's completely heated through. If the topping isn't crusty, turn the oven up to broil-if you're using a ceramic dish, turn the oven just to 450°F (230°C), or whatever maximum heat is indicated by the manufacturer-and watch carefully until the top is browned to your liking. Remove the cassoulet from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Serve the cassoulet in its dish at the table. It requires no other accompaniment, although a glass of Armagnac after (or in place of ) dessert is considered obligatory to aid digestion. As is a pat on the back for making the cassoulet.

CHEF JOHN'S DUCK, SAUSAGE, AND SHRIMP GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook duck legs in the hot oil, skin-side down, until duck legs are browned and skillet contains rendered duck fat, about 10 minutes on the skin side. Flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes on the meat side. Remove duck legs from skillet, leaving rendered duck fat in the skillet.
• Whisk 1 cup flour into the duck fat, adding enough vegetable oil to make the flour mixture a thick and smooth roux. Turn heat to medium-low and cook the roux, stirring constantly, until it turns a rich reddish-brown color, about 40 minutes. Whisk 2 more tablespoons flour into roux and cook for 2 minutes.
• Whisk chicken broth into roux, 1 cup at a time, until all broth has been incorporated. Remove roux mixture from heat.
• Brown andouille sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, about 8 minutes; stir in onion, peppers, celery, and 4 green onions, cooking until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into sausage mixture, followed by diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
• Place smoked ham hock into the center of the sausage and vegetables. Pour roux mixture over ham hock along with enough water to cover. Place duck legs into mixture. Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low, and cover with a lid set at an angle to let steam out. Simmer slowly, stirring occasionally until duck and ham hock meat are tender, about 4 hours. Skim as much fat as possible off the top as it simmers.
• Remove duck and ham hock to a bowl and let cool. Stir pickled okra into gumbo. Pick meat from duck legs and pork hock and return meat to the gumbo. Simmer gumbo for 45 more minutes.
• Turn heat to medium-high, bring gumbo to a boil, and stir in shrimp and crawfish tails. Cook until shrimp and crawfish tails are bright pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon green onion, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

DUCK AND SAUSAGE GUMBO WITH BROWN AND WHITE RICE

Steps:

• To prepare the gumbo:
• Prick duck skin all over with tip of a knife. In a heavy skillet brown kielbasa and duck in batches over moderately high heat, transferring as browned to paper towels to drain. Combine kielbasa and duck with broth and water in a 6-gallon kettle and bring to a simmer.
• Pour off all but 1/4 cup fat from skillet. Add flour and cook roux over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a shade darker than peanut butter, about 30 minutes. Add onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add vegetable mixture to kettle and stir until roux is dissolved.
• Simmer gumbo, uncovered, 2 hours and let cool completely. Bone duck, discarding skin and bones. Chill gumbo overnight. Gumbo may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Discard fat on surface and reheat gumbo with cayenne, scallions, and salt to taste over moderate heat.
• To prepare the rice:
• To a kettle of boiling salted water add brown rice, stirring, and boil 15 minutes. Drain rice in a large colander and rinse. Put colander over a kettle of boiling water and steam brown rice, covered with a kitchen towel and a lid, until fluffy and dry, about 25 minutes. Cook white rice in same manner, boiling 10 minutes and steaming 15 minutes. In a bowl toss brown and white rice together. Rice may be made 3 days in advance and kept chilled in resealable plastic bags. Steam rice to reheat.
• Serve gumbo over rice.

DUCK AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat.
• Add 1/2 cup peanut oil and heat until hot.
• Season the duck pieces with salt and pepper and add to the pot.
• Cook, turning and rearranging a few times, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the ducks from the pot and set aside; discard the oil in the pot.
• Add the remaining 1/3 cup oil to the pot and heat over medium heat until hot.
• Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until browned, about 2 minutes.
• Scoop out the sausage and set it aside with the duck.
• Sprinkle the flour into the oil and sausage drippings in the pot.
• Whisk to combine.
• Cook, stirring, over very low heat for 5-7 minutes or until it makes a dark roux.
• Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, parsley, and garlic.
• Gradually stir in 1 to 2 cups of the broth to make a smooth sauce.
• Add the thyme, marjoram, and sage.
• Add the duck pieces and sausage, pouring in any of their drippings.
• Add the remaining broth.
• Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours, until the duck is fall-off-the-bone tender.
• Serve over wild rice and sprinkle with chives and hot sauce to taste.

DUCK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• It is best to prepare these sausages one day in advance and refrigerate them until ready to cook.
• Cut away and reserve the meat from the ducks. There should be about 2 pounds of meat. Discard the bones and any fibrous membranes. Reserve 1/4 pound duck fat.
• Cut the duck meat into 1-inch cubes and put in a mixing bowl. Chop up the duck fat and add it and the thyme, bay leaf, allspice, salt and pepper. Blend well.
• If using a sausage stuffer, put half the duck mixture into the container of a food processor and blend until the mixture is slightly finer than hamburger. Repeat with the remainder. Combine the two batches and add the pistachios. Blend well in a bowl. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for filling the sausage casings. If using a meat grinder and stuffer, follow the manufacturer's instructions for stuffing the casings. When the filling has been added, pinch off the casing and tie a knot at each end. Tie a piece of string at 5- or 6-inch intervals. There should be 11 or 12 sausages. Wrap the sausages in clear plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• To cook, cut off as many lengths of sausage as desired. Prick each sausage all over, forming pin-sized holes. Grill or broil the sausages, turning as necessary, about 15 minutes or until done. Or preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the sausages in a skillet and add 1/8 inch water. Bring the water to a boil on top of the stove and place the skillet in the oven. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, or until the sausages are done.

BACON WRAPPED DUCK BREAST WITH CRANBERRY DUCK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Working with 1 duck breast at a time, spread a butterflied breast skin down on a work surface. Sprinkle the breast with salt and pepper. Place the cooked spinach down in a thin layer along the center the breast. Then top with a row of Onion Petals, followed by a row of cranberries in the center of the breast. Fold the duck breast meat over onto itself to form a roll. Place 4 lengthwise overlapping slices of bacon on the work surface and place 2 slices perpendicular to the 4 slices so they overlap by 1-inch to form a cross. Place the duck breast in the center, parallel to the 2 bacon slices, fold the bacon over the duck, and then roll it up to make a neat package. Repeat with the remaining duck breasts.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large ovenproof saute pan. Carefully place the bacon wrapped duck breast in the pan and cook on all sides for about 6 minutes to render and brown the bacon. Drain off most of the fat from the pan and put into the oven to finish the cooking, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let the duck breast rest for 5 to 8 minutes before slicing. Slice each duck breast into 4 even slices. Place the sliced duck breast on the plate with the Cranberry Duck Sausage. Drizzle with the Cranberry Maple Syrup.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Carefully place the onions in the pan cut-side down. Cook until golden brown, 2 minutes on each side. Add the butter and continue to cook the onions in the foaming butter for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the ground duck meat, sun-dried cranberries and thyme, and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the sausage mixture into a piping bag. Find the end of the casing and slip it over the end of the piping bag and push the casing over the tip of the piping bag so that it forms an accordion-like pleat. Keep the casing wet throughout this process (keep dipping your hands in warm water). Applying pressure to the piping bag with one hand, stuff the casing with the sausage. As a sausage is formed, make links by twisting the sausage, and then pipe again. Regulate the flow of the sausage into the casing by applying different amounts of pressure to the piping bag. This will determine how tightly packed the sausage is; if you try and pack the sausage too tightly the casing will burst. If the casing does burst, tie it off at that point and start again.
• In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add the oil and sausages. Cook evenly on all sides until golden brown, about 6 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the maple syrup, cranberries and vanilla bean and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes.

DUCK SAUSAGE PIZZA WITH GREEN ONIONS AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Mix olive oil, minced garlic and dried crushed red pepper in small bowl. Place pizza crust on rimless baking sheet. Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese over all but 1-inch border of crust. Top mozzarella with chopped tomato, then oregano, sliced sausages, chopped green onions and grated Parmesan, in that order. Drizzle garlic-oil mixture over pizza.
• Bake pizza until crust edges are crisp and brown and cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle pizza with minced fresh parsley. Cut pizza into wedges and then serve immediately.

DUCK EGGS IN SAUSAGE MARINARA PURGATORY

Steps:

• 1. Add oil to a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the sausage and cook until sausage is no longer pink. Add the Marinara sauce and bring to a simmer.
• 2. Make 4 wells into the sauce and crack the eggs into the wells. Place a lid on the pan and cook until eggs are set
• 3. Serve topped with basil and sprinkled with parmesan.

LENTIL SOUP WITH SHERRY AND DUCK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Place lentils in a saucepan, cover with cold water to a depth of one inch, bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are very tender, about 45 minutes.
• While the lentils are cooking, grill or sautee the duck sausage until it is browned and cooked through. Set it aside.
• Drain the lentils. Place them in a food processer with two cups of the stock and puree. Return the puree to the saucepan and stir in the cumin and the remaining stock. Bring to a simmer.
• Slice the duck sausage into thin rounds and add them to the soup. Stir in the sherry. Season to taste with salt and pepper adding more stock if necessary to thin the texture a bit.

DUCK AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Prick duck skin all over with the tip of a knife. In a heavy skillet brown kielbasa and duck in batches over moderately high heat, transferring as browned to paper towels to drain. Combine kielbasa and duck with broth and water in a 6 gallon kettle and bring to a simmer.
• Pour off all but 1/4 cup fat from skillet. Add flour and cook roux over low heat, stirring constantly, until a shade darker than peanut butter, about 30 minutes. Add onions, celery, and bell peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add vegetable mixture to kettle and stir until roux is dissolves.
• Simmer gumbo, uncovered, for 2 hours and let cool completely. Bone duck, discarding skin and bones. Chill gumbo overnight. Gumbo may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Discard fat on surface and reheat gumbo with cayenne, scallions, and salt over moderate heat. Serve over rice.

DUCK & SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500. Place poblano on foil lined baking sheet skin side up. Roast until skin is blackened, 12 to 15 min. Remove from oven and peel skin off and chop pepper. In dutch oven heat oil over med/high heat. Add Andouille and cook until browned, 8 - 10 min. Remove sausage with slotted spoon reserving any rendered fat in pan. To same pan add melted butter. Whisk in flour and cook to dark roux. Add onion, celery and poblano and cook until they begin to soften, 6 - 8 min. Add garlic, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant then add beer and whisk. Add chicken broth, duck breast, bay leaves, thyme, lemon juice and Worcestershire. Bring to boil,stirring occasionally. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook 10 - 12 min until gumbo thickens. Garnish with green onion. Serve over spoonful of white rice

CASSOULET OF WHITE BEANS, SAUSAGE, AND DUCK RECIPE

Steps:

• To prepare the beans, drain and place them in an 8-quart casserole with the bacon, the halved onions, the smashed garlic, bouquet garni, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat and gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Remove the bacon and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Strain the beans, reserving both the beans and the cooking liquid and discarding the onions and bouquet garni. Place the beans in a bowl.
• To cook the sausages, prick each one in a couple places with a fork and place them in the bottom of a 10-inch saute pan with 1/4 inch water. Cook over medium heat, turning from time to time, until the water has evaporated and the sausages are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove them and slice them at an angle into 1-inch pieces.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the duck fat to the pan with the sausage drippings along with the chopped onion and cook, stirring from time to time until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue to cook and stir for another minute. Add the white wine and cook for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Season well with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
• To assemble the cassoulet, layer 1/3 of the beans on the bottom of the casserole and add half the bacon or salt pork, sausages, and duck confit. Cover this layer with half the tomato mixture. Repeat with another third of the beans and the remaining bacon, sausages, and duck confit. Cover this with the rest of the tomatoes and then the beans. Add salt and pepper to taste to the reserved bean-cooking liquid. Pour enough of the bean liquid into the casserole to come up just to the top of the beans. (You can cover and refrigerate the assembled cassoulet for several hours.)
• Cover the entire cassoulet with bread crumbs, dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons duck fat, and bake for 45 to 75 minutes, or until the bread crumbs have formed a crisp crust. You can break through the crust with the back of a spoon three or four times during the cooking to allow the juices to help form that crust.
• Let your cassoulet cool slightly prior to serving. Originally published May 3, 2003.

ESTOUFFAT WITH DUCK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Place beans in bowl, cover with water to a depth of 2 inches and allow to soak at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse beans.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• In a heavy casserole slowly saute the salt pork or bacon until it is golden. Or heat the duck fat. Add duck sausage and saute until lightly browned. Remove duck sausage from the pan. Add onions and carrot to the pan and saute until onions are golden. Stir in the garlic.
• Add tomatoes, return beans to casserole and add bouquet garni. Add two cups water and several generous grindings of black pepper. Add two cups boiling water. Slice duck sausage into chunks 1 inch thick and add it.
• Cover casserole and place in oven. Bake for 2 hours. Remove bouquet garni, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

DUCK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Add all ingredients except for the foie gras into a large bowl. Mix well. Roll out and add the foie gras to the center. Roll into a sausage. Cover using the duck skin for casing. Tie with butcher?s string to secure. Confit the duck sausage by cooking in duck fat in a very slow heat until cooked (about 25 minutes). Take out and roast in a roasting pan, in a preheated 350 degree oven, until golden brown and crispy.
• Wine Suggestion: River Bend, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir, 1996

BAKED MAC 'N CHEESE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND DUCK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Parboil the rotini pasta in boiling salted water for 8 minutes, and strain.
• Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add the sliced onions and a pinch of sea salt to the pan and saute for 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute for another 35 minutes, or until caramelized.
• Render the sausage in a dry pan over medium heat for 10 minutes, until crispy bits form. Add milk, half-and- half, caramelized onions, sea salt, and ground pepper and bring to a boil. The second the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the Cheddar cheese, Friulano cheese, and bay leaf and stir until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
• In a bowl, mix the cooked rotini pasta with the cheese sauce and transfer into a baking dish. Top with the panko bread crumbs, drizzle with melted butter and broil for a few minutes, or until the panko is golden brown and the edges crisp up.