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Brined guinea fowl with chestnut, roasted buckwheat and raisin stuffing
Serves 4-6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2 x 1.2kg guinea fowl
- 30g butter
For brining
- 400g rock salt
- 125g golden caster sugar
- 1tbsp peppercorns
- juice 1 lemon plus the squeezed-out shell
For the stuffing
- 125g toasted buckwheat, rinsed, soaked for 15 minutes and drained
- 350ml chicken stock
- 1tsp sea salt flakes
- 25g butter
- 175g onions, roughly chopped
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 50g sultanas, soaked for 15 minutes in hot water
- 100g whole cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 35g sliced pistachios or pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2tsp fennel seed, roughly crushed
- 1tsp freshly ground black pepper
- zest and juice 1 lemon
- 35g parsley leaves, chopped
For the roast potatoes
- 1.25kg maris piper, king Edwards or desirée potatoes, peeled and cut into 3
- 1/2tbsp sea salt
- 4tbsp duck fat
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 150g whole cooked chestnuts
Method
Several hours before cooking, put all the brining ingredients in a large pan with 6 litres water. Once the salt has dissolved, slowly bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 3 minutes.
Run some cold water into the sink. Remove the pan from the heat and put it into the water up to the level of the brine and leave to cool completely.
Put the birds in a large bowl or 2 bowls if need be. Pour the cold brine liquid over the birds, making sure they are submerged. If not, put a plate on top with a weight on top and cover with a clean cloth. Leave in a cool place for 8 hours and no more than 12 hours.
Meanwhile, for the stuffing, combine the buckwheat, stock and salt in a medium pan and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Cover and reduce the heat to low, then simmer for around 10 minutes until just tender. Transfer to a bowl, add the butter and fluff up with a fork, then leave to cool.
Put the roughly chopped onions in a food processor and whizz to finely chop. Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the oil and onions. Sweat for around 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Allow to cool, then stir through the buckwheat and let cool completely. Once the mixture is cold, roughly chop the sultanas and add with the other ingredients, mixing well with clean hands. Cover and set aside in a cool place.
When the birds have brined, preheat the oven to 190C/170C F/Gas 5. Drain the guinea fowl well and pat dry. Stuff the cavities with the stuffing mixture, using skewers to seal it in, and tie up the legs with kitchen string.
Put the birds on a rack on a roasting tray. Melt the butter, baste a little over the legs and body of the birds and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the birds and baste with a little more melted butter and give them another 15 minutes. Turn again so they’re upright and baste again. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C F/Gas 4 and cook the guinea fowl for a further 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, put a roasting tin in the oven to warm. Put the potatoes in a large pan with the salt, cover with just-boiled water from a kettle and bring back to the boil, then simmer for around 7 minutes until they just give when skewered. Drain in a colander and cover with kitchen paper to dry out for 5 minutes.
While the potatoes are drying, put the duck fat in the heated roasting tin and, when the potatoes have dried, shake and tip into the tin, turning them in the fat. Add the rosemary and some pepper and roast for 20 minutes along with the birds.
Remove the guinea fowl and loosely cover with foil. While they are resting, turn the oven up to 200C/180C F/Gas 6 and roast the potatoes for another 20 minutes until crisp and golden. Add the chestnuts and roast for 8 more minutes before serving with the guinea fowl.
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