CHICKEN & SAUSAGE CASSOULET

WITH FORGET-THE-DIET MASHED POTATOES

One of the many reasons we decided to call Borneo home is that it never gets cold. Here, if the temperature plummets to 25C, the locals actually don jumpers. (We don't.) We do however still love hearty stews and rich cassoulets. So occasionally, when our craving gets the better of us, we turn on the air con, pretend we're in a cool climate and I cook something like this. You really need to start this dish two days in advance to get the best flavour. I recommend you use dried beans - so much nicer than the tinned ones - which you'll need to soak in salted water overnight and then, the next day, you cook the beans in boiling water for about 40 minutes and make the cassoulet. When everything has cooled, you put the ready-to-eat cassoulet in the fridge overnight to let the fat rise to the top and congeal. The next day, you scrape off the fat (don't throw it down the sink unless your best friend is a plumber...throw it in the bin) and you're ready to reheat and make the mashed potatoes. Mike tells everyone he married me for my tarte au citron (posh way of saying lemon tart) but I think he now wants to reaffirm our vows after tasting this comforting dish.

PS: Mike said the sausage in this pic looks like an amputated penis! I can assure you it isn't. It's half a pork sausage!!

INGREDIENTS ( for 4 with leftovers)

CASSOULET

500g dried white beans (cannellini, navy, or great northern, soaked in heavily salted water overnight, drained and rinsed)

2 tbsp olive oil

I whole chicken dissected into eight pieces

4 chicken or pork sausages

200g bacon pieces or lardons

1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

2 small carrots, peeled and diced

1 stick celery, chopped

690g tomato passata

1 litre good quality chicken stock

2 bay leaves

5 sprigs thyme or generous shake of dried thyme

sea salt flakes to taste

a few grinds of black or white pepper

MASHED POTATOES

4 large Desiree potatoes (pink skin), peeled and chopped into chunks

generous splodge of butter

3 or 4 tbsps of thick pouring cream

Salt to taste

METHOD

DAY 1

1. Place your soaked and rinsed beans into a medium saucepan, cover with water again and simmer for about 40 minutes, then drain.

2. Preheat your oven to 160C (150C fan-forced).

3. Heat a large, heavy roasting pan (mine is enamelled cast iron) on the cooktop. Add the olive oil and fry the chicken pieces, sausages and bacon chunks until browned on all sides.

4. Remove from pan and set aside.

5. Add onion, carrots and celery to same pan and fry for about 10 minutes.
6. Add your cooked, rinsed, drained beans and stir to combine.

7. Add the passata and chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and stir.

8. Arrange the chicken pieces, sausages, and bacon on top. They should be half submerged in the liquid.

9. Bake for about 90 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and let cool.

11. Put cassoulet into lidded storage container and place in fridge overnight

DAY 2

1. Remove cassoulet from fridge and scrape off all the congealed fat from the top.

2. Preheat oven to 180C.

3. Put everything back into your ovenproof pan, cover (with foil if you have no lid) and place in preheated oven for about 30 - 40 minutes or until heated through.

3. Meanwhile, make your mashed potatoes.

Place your peeled and cut potatoes into a pot of salted water on the cooktop and bring to the boil. Cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

4. Drain and put back in the pot.

5. Add butter, cream and additional salt and beat until lustrous and creamy.