Stuffed whole pheasant

Serves 6 Starters and mains

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas 4. Sweat the shallots in the butter without colouring them, then set aside and allow to cool.

Place the gherkins, capers, sausage meat, parsley, mustard, and black pudding into a bowl with the cold shallots and mix well, then divide the mixture into two. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Place the deboned pheasants flat on a board, skin-side down. Roll the sausage meat into two large sausage shapes and place into the centre of each deboned pheasant. Wrap the pheasant around the sausage meat and then tie with butcher’s string, just to hold it in place but not too tight or, as it cooks, the meat will be forced out of each end. Season both pheasants and seal in a pan in a little oil and foaming butter, giving a good colour all over by basting the birds well.

Place in the oven for around 6-8 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, take out of the roasting tin and rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile heat up the juices in the roasting tin by placing it on the stove, add wine to deglaze the juices on the bottom of the pan, reduce, then add the jus. Heat and serve over a slice of the roast stuffed pheasant. Serve with
roast potatoes and vegetable.

For the game bird jus

Fry the game trimmings with a little oil to give a good colour, a bit at a time. Remove each batch from the pan and keep to one side.

Fry vegetables and garlic in the same pan with a little more oil, to give good colour.

Add the meat trimmings to the vegetables and add the tomato purée. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and thyme and reduce by half. Add the stock, season and reduce by two-thirds.

Strain through a fine strainer. The jus should be the consistency of single cream. If you would like it a thicker consistency (a game glaze), reduce further but be careful not to burn it. The jus freezes well. Use as needed.