roast pheasant
serves two
1 pheasant
1 dsp olive oil
1 large knob of butter
4 rashers of streaky bacon, halved
a sprig of rosemary
a sprig of thyme
1 tbsp of madeira, marsala or port
1 tsp cornflour
300ml of chicken stock
salt + black pepper
N.B. Sainsbury's do a 375ml bottle of Madeira for £6.79, so the tablespoon here costs about 27p. If you can't afford the investment on the bottle, you could always nip to the pub for a single shot of port. To bring back to the kitchen, not to drink. Otherwise, try a spoonful of redcurrant jelly instead.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Season the pheasant inside and out. Rub with oil and place the herbs and butter in the cavity. Cover the breasts with the bacon and place in a roasting tray. Pour 100ml of the stock into the tray. Roast for 45 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove the bacon after 30 minutes. Remove the pheasant to rest and make the gravy: skim of most of the fat from the juices in the tray. Place over heat,splash in the madeira and stir. Add the remaining stock. Mix the cornflour with a little water and stir in. Simmer for 5 minutes and season. Serve with the bacon chopped up and scattered over a handful of watercress plus bread sauce, redcurrant jelly and roast potatoes. Another great accompaniment is creamed cabbage.
1 pheasant
1 dsp olive oil
1 large knob of butter
4 rashers of streaky bacon, halved
a sprig of rosemary
a sprig of thyme
1 tbsp of madeira, marsala or port
1 tsp cornflour
300ml of chicken stock
salt + black pepper
N.B. Sainsbury's do a 375ml bottle of Madeira for £6.79, so the tablespoon here costs about 27p. If you can't afford the investment on the bottle, you could always nip to the pub for a single shot of port. To bring back to the kitchen, not to drink. Otherwise, try a spoonful of redcurrant jelly instead.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Season the pheasant inside and out. Rub with oil and place the herbs and butter in the cavity. Cover the breasts with the bacon and place in a roasting tray. Pour 100ml of the stock into the tray. Roast for 45 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove the bacon after 30 minutes. Remove the pheasant to rest and make the gravy: skim of most of the fat from the juices in the tray. Place over heat,splash in the madeira and stir. Add the remaining stock. Mix the cornflour with a little water and stir in. Simmer for 5 minutes and season. Serve with the bacon chopped up and scattered over a handful of watercress plus bread sauce, redcurrant jelly and roast potatoes. Another great accompaniment is creamed cabbage.