Cassoulet of Duckling (1954)

• 1 lb great northern beans 
• 1 large onion, peeled, stuck with 4 cloves
• 1 carrot
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt, pepper, paprika
• 4 to 5 lb duckling
• 2 tbspns butter
• 1 large onion, minced
• 16-oz can tomatoes
• 1 pint, homemade tomato sauce or 2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
• 2 tbspns finely minced parsley
• 1 lb garlic sausage or kielbasa sausage
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Wash beans well, and soak in 1 quart cold water in a large flameproof casserole overnight. Add another quart of water. Add the whole onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Add the neck and gizzard of the duckling.  Simmer beans slowly until tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While beans are simmering, place the duckling in an uncovered roasting pan, With a meat work, piece the duckling skin in about a dozen places to permit fat to escape.  Roast at 325 degrees until tender, about 2 hours. Drain off fat from time to time, as it begins smoking. 

When duckling is finished roasting, remove it from the pan. Again drain off fat, and add 1 cup water to brown pan drippings. Place roasting pan over flame. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Add this gravy to the casserole.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add minced onion and duckling liver. Saute until onion turns yellow. Chop liver coarsely. Set aside onions and liver.

Remove the whole onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf from the beans. Chop the tomatoes coarsely. Add the chopped tomatoes together with their juice to the beans. Add the tomato sauce and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. 

With poultry shears, cut the duckling into small-size serving pieces.  Add the duckling to the casserole, forcing the duckling underneath the beans. Baked covered in a slow over, 325 degrees, 1 1/2 hours.  

Remove lid from casserole.  Place sausage slices on beans. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top of sausages. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake uncovered until top is brown, about 30 to 40 minutes longer. Serves six. 

(Origin - "The Playboy Gourmet" by Thomas Mario, a Playboy Press Book. Recipes published in Playboy magazine, 1954 to 1972)