Pot roasted pheasant, properly garnished

Pot roasted pheasant properly garnished

By Annette Woolcock Published: January 12, 2015

• Yield: 4 Servings
• Prep: 20 mins
• Cook: 60 mins
• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins

A classic pheasant pot roast

Ingredients

• 50 ml vegetable oil
• 2 pheasants tied ask your butcher to do this
• 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon sliced thinly
• 8 shallots peeled and left whole
• 2 carrots peeled and quartered lengthways
• 2 parsnips peeled and quartered lengthways
• 1 clove garlic peeled and crushed
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig marjoram
• 2 bay leaves
• 100 ml Marsala or a sweet sherry
• 50 ml good red wine
• 200 ml chicken stock
• seasoned flour for dusting pheasants
• 3 baking potatoes peeled and quartered to look like big chips- fondant potatoes
• 20 ml vegetable oil fondant potatoes
• 100 grams butter diced and chilled - fondant potatoes
• 1 sprig thyme fondant potatoes
• 1 clove garlic peeled and left whole- fondant potatoes
• 150 ml chicken stock fondant potatoes
• 8 slices white bread preferably a day or two old, crusts removed - bread sauce
• 1 small white onion left whole and studded with 3 cloves - bread sauce
• 1 bay leaf bread sauce
• nutmeg a good grating - bread sauce
• 500 ml whole milk bread sauce
• 6 white peppercorns bread sauce
• 50 grams salted butter bread sauce
• 200 grams Curly or Russian Kale or Cavolo Nero¬ middle stem removed and washed
• 15 grams salted butter
• 4 chestnuts

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 170c Heat the oil in a flame proof casserole, dust the pheasants with the seasoned flour and brown all over, once browned remove them from the casserole and cover with tin foil to keep warm.
   
2. Now add all vegetables, bacon and herbs to the casserole with a tablespoon of the flour from dusting the birds and fry for 5-8 minutes, stirring to get an even colour and all the chewy brown bits off the bottom, which help to thicken the sauce, then return the pheasants and any resting juices to the casserole, finally adding all the Marsala, wine and stock.
   
3. Cover and place in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until the leg meat easily comes away from the bone.
   
4. For the fondant potatoes: Heat the oven to 170c Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add your big chips, turning to get golden brown all over. Once golden, reduce the heat a little and add the thyme and garlic, then the stock, it should come ¾ the way up the potatoes. Finally add the butter by dotting it in and around the potatoes. Once the butter has melted, spoon some of the liquid over the potatoes and put in the oven for 20 minutes. They are ready when they are golden brown and most of the stock has evaporated.
   
5. For the bread sauce: Place the all the ingredients apart from the bread and butter in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Once it has boiled remove from the heat and leave to stand for 15 mins. Meanwhile, tear the bread into little pieces, this makes it easier to stir into the warm milk. Strain the milk into a clean pan and return to a low heat. Start adding the torn bread, stirring all the while as the bread breaks down it will thicken the milk. Once all the bread is added, stir in the butter for extra richness. Serve warm.
   
6. For the kale and chestnuts: Heat a large saucepan that you have a lid for and once you can see the heat rising, throw in the greens and splash of water and cover with the lid. After 30 seconds, remove the lid, being careful of the steam and stir the greens while adding the butter and warmed chestnuts, serve immediately.
   

• Cuisine: Pheasant
• Course: Main
• Skill Level: Easy