Barbary Duck With Bean Ragu

Ingredients

2 Barbary duck legs
1 tin Barlotti beans
1 tin Black eyed peas
2 cloves garlic
1 small red onion
200mls of chicken stock and white wine combined
1 tbs Creme Fraiche

Duck legs are really hard to fuck up.

I'll start with that so if you have never cooked Daffy's pins before do not worry, it's stupidly easy. Duck leg and thigh are a completely different type of meat to duck breast, it's denser and benefits from long and hard heat plus it's surrounded by wonderful fat meaning it is almost impossible to dry it out.

So this recipe is perfect for either a weekend or mid-weeker comforting meal- it sounds great but in effect its just duck n beans! It's classically French in it's design taking some cues from the mighty cassoulet - give it a shot but make sure you get your duck from a local butchers.

Instructions

Step 1

All your Daffy Duck ingredients.

Step 2

Season the duck well with cracked black pepper and salt flakes, lug in some rapeseed oil to get things going. This will leak fat like a mad thing- which is good. Sling in a 200c oven for 40 minutes.

Step 3

Drain yer beans (insert innuendo here as you see fit).

Step 4

Sling a knife through the onion until its really fine and the just rough chop the garlic. You want the onion to disappear during the cooking leaving its flavour and personality.

Step 5

On a medium heat sauté the onion and garlic in some oil until everything softens down - about 3-4 minutes will do it.

Step 6

Add the drained beans and combine well with the onions and garlic - at this stage add the stock and wine bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 7

Next to make a cartouche (again with the fancy lingo- sue me). But this is important, it keeps the steam around the beans as they cook keeping them moist...It's a good kitchen hack to know. Rip a lump of grease proof paper.