Cassoulet

Directions

1. 1
   Sprinkle goose leg with herbs and salt.
2. 2
   Let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
3. 3
   Next day, pat dry and combine with melted rendered goose fat.
4. 4
   Simmer until tender.
5. 5
   Reserve goose and fat.
6. 6
   In a large pan cover pork rind, pancetta and pig's foot with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer 3 minutes.
7. 7
   Drain and rinse meats.
8. 8
   Combine blanched meats in a large earthenware casserole with beans, carrots, onion, garlic, bouquet garni and garlic sausage, pricked several times.
9. 9
   Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and slowly bring to a boil.
10. 10
    Cook, covered, at a bare simmer over very low heat.
11. 11
    After 30 minutes, remove sausage and pancetta; when cool enough to handle, slice sausage and dice pancetta.
12. 12
    Continue to cook beans for 2 hours or until very tender.
13. 13
    Add salt in last 10 minutes of cooking time.
14. 14
    Discard carrots, onion and bouquet garni.
15. 15
    Drain beans, reserving liquid.
16. 16
    Remove large bones from pig's foot and cut into 4 pieces.
17. 17
    Cut pork rind into 1-inch squares.
18. 18
    Make lamb stew: In a deep saute pan cook onions and carrots in reserved goose fat for 15 minutes or until golden and transfer to a plate.
19. 19
    Add lamb and brown on all sides.
20. 20
    Return vegetables to pan, season with salt and sprinkle with flour.
21. 21
    Cook, turning lamb, until flour is cooked.
22. 22
    Add wine, garlic and herbs.
23. 23
    Adds tomatoes and enough of the reserved bean cooking liquid to cover.
24. 24
    Cook over very low heat for 11/2 hours, skimming occasionally.
25. 25
    Remove meat and carrots to a plate and strain sauce into a saucepan.
26. 26
    Simmer sauce for 15 minutes until concentrated and flavorful.
27. 27
    To assemble: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rub bottom and sides of a medium-deep earthenware oven dish with garlic cloves.
28. 28
    Layer pork rind and goose, cut into two pieces, and top with 1/3 of beans.
29. 29
    Layer pig's foot, lamb and carrots and top with 1/3 of beans.
30. 30
    Layer sausage and pancetta and top with remaining beans.
31. 31
    Sprinkle with some bread crumbs and ladle enough lamb sauce over top of mixture for liquid to rise to surface of beans.
32. 32
    Dust with more bread crumbs and sprinkle with several tablespoons melted goose fat.
33. 33
    Bake until heated through and surface begins to bubble.
34. 34
    Reduce heat to 350 degrees F or lower, so casserole bubbles gently and bake about 2 hours.
35. 35
    After first 20 minutes, baste surface first with lamb sauce, then with bean liquid.
36. 36
    Continue basting every 20 minutes, until top forms a golden-crisp gratin crust.
37. 37
    Break surface all over with a spoon so that part becomes submerged and rest is moistened by sauce.
38. 38
    Break crust at least 3 times.
39. 39
    However, if you run out of basting liquids, it is better to stop baking than to risk dish becoming too dry.