Roast Pheasant
Oven roasting early season pheasant
Ingredients
For the roasted pheasant
- 2 pheasant 800-900g/1lb 12oz-2lb each, oven-ready, preferably hen pheasants
- 50 ml rapeseed oil or other non-scented oil
- 20 g butter unsalted, optional
- sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the pheasant jus
- 100 ml red wine
- 50 ml ruby port
- 2 juniper berries crushed
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
For the bread sauce
- 10 g butter unsalted
- 50 g white onion finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 cloves crushed
- 2 pinches salt
- 10 g small bacon lardons
- 150 ml full-fat milk
- 1 slice white bread broken into pieces
Instructions
- For the roasted pheasant
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.
- On a medium heat, in a ovenproof frying pan, heat the rapeseed oil and butter (if using) until foaming.
- Lay the pheasants in the pan, cook until golden-brown in colour (about 3-5 minutes) on the leg sides. Turn the pheasants onto their breast side to colour for a further 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. To check the pheasant is correctly cooked, you can use a meat thermometer – the breast temperature for a cock pheasant should reach 63°C/145°F and for a hen 60°C/140°F. (The leg temperature should reach 80-82°C/175-180°F.) When cooked, set the pheasant aside in a warm place, covered, to rest.
- Spoon out the fat from the pan and add the wine, port, juniper and thyme into the roasting pan. On a high heat quickly cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by one third. Scrape the caramelised juices off the bottom of the pan to make the jus. Taste and season if necessary. Strain and reserve in a warmed jug.
- For the bread sauce
- In a small saucepan on a low heat gently heat the butter and fry the onion with the herbs, crushed cloves and salt for two minutes, or until soft. Add the bacon lardons and continue to cook uncovered for one minute. Add the milk, bring to a simmer and stir in the pieces of bread until the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- To serve, carve the pheasant and serve it over a mound of bread sauce with the jus poured over.
Nutrition
Calories: 1498kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 158gFat: 84gSaturated Fat: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 4g
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