Pork Cassoulet

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the beans in a bowl. Cover with vinegar and 8 cups water and leave for 4 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large, heavy braising pan, melt the duck fat. Add the sausages and saute until brown. Remove from the pan. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add onions and garlic. Saute until lightly browned.

3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add the thyme sprigs, stock, sausages and beans to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the stock to a boil, then place in the oven, and simmer for 2 hours.

4. Add the Pork Confit to the beans and bake, uncovered, in the oven for 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven.

5. In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, chopped thyme and parsley. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over top. Bake uncovered until heated through, bubbling and lightly browned on top, about 30 to 40 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups Tarbais beans or navy beans
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon duck fat or vegetable oil
1 pound garlic pork sausage, cut into 12 slices
1 pound lamb sausage, cut into 12 slices
2 onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
8 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a chef's knife
8 sprigs thyme plus 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
3 quarts duck or chicken stock, more if needed
Coarse sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Pork confit
1 1/2 cups coarse bread crumbs
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley.