Delicious UK - (12)December 2020

Brinedroastpheasant
withsage,pancettaand
marsalagravy
SERVES4.HANDS-ONTIME 20 MIN,
OVENTIME30-35MIN,PLUS6 HOURSBRINING

• 2 pheasants,about500geach,
  guttedandcleaned(seeJacob’s
  gameknow-how,opposite)


• 150gunsaltedbutter


• 4 freshsagesprigs


• 300gcarrots,cutinto4cmchunks


• 300gparsnips,cutinto4cmchunks


• 12thinslicespancettaorstreaky
  bacon,or4-6slicesprosciutto


• 200mldryormediummarsala
  orsherry

FORTHEBRINE

• 200gsugar(caster,granulated,
  orlightbrown)


• 200gfineseasalt


• 20blackpeppercorns
  
  
  • 10juniperberries
  
  
  • 3 freshbayleaves
  
  
  • 2 garliccloves
  
  
  • 2kgcrushedice(oricecubes)
  
  
  
  

YOU’LLALSONEED...

• Digitalprobethermometer

1 Putthebrineingredients(apart

fromthecrushedice/cubes)ina

largestainlesssteel(non-reactive)

stockpotwith2 litrescoldwater.

Bringtotheboilovera medium-high

heat,thenturnofftheheatandleave

toinfusefor 10 minutes.Addthe

ice,thenthepheasants.Coverand

chillfor6 hours.

2 Heattheovento240°C/220°Cfan/

gas9. Drainthepheasants(discard

thebrine),patdrywithkitchenpaper

andputina largeroastingtin.Stuff

eachbird’scavitywith50gbutterand

2 sagesprigs.Seasonwithpepper(no

salt,becauseofthebrine).Arrange

thechoppedvegevenlyaroundthe

birds,thenputthetinintheoven

andimmediatelyturntheheatdown

to200°C/180°Cfan/gas4.

3 Roastfor 15 minutes,thenremove

thetinandlaythepancetta/bacon/

prosciuttooverthebirdstocover,

overlappingslightly.Returnthetin

totheovenandroastfor 15 minutes

moreuntilthemeatreads65°Cinthe

thickestpartofthebreastwhentested

witha digitalprobethermometer(or

thejuicesrunningbetweenlegand

breastarebarelypink).If thebirds

aren’tfullycooked,returnthetintothe

ovenfor5 minutesmore.Oncecooked,

removefromtheovenandsetthebirds

asidetorestwhileyoumakethegravy.

4 Puttheroastingtinwiththe

vegetablesonthehobovera highheat,

addthemarsalaorsherryandboilfor

5 minutesuntilreducedbyabouthalf.

Scrapethebottomofthepanwith

a woodenspoontostirinanysticky

goodness.Stirintheremaining

butter,thenreducefora further

5 minutesuntilthesaucehasa thin,

pouringconsistency.

5 Carvethepheasants,thenserve

withthevegandthesauce.Orcarve

thebirdsatthetableformoredrama

andlessfussinthekitchen.

PERSERVING847kcals,59.1gfat

(29.5gsaturated),50.1gprotein,

11.1gcarbs(10.3gsugars),3.7gsalt,

7.9gfibre

Pheasant is affordable – you can buy it for as little as £8 a brace

(that’s two) from a good butcher, it freezes well and cooks within half

an hour. All-star attributes for this roast recipe by one of the UK’s top

chefs that needs just a little pre-prep to ensure moist and tender meat

FOR 4... OR 2

PHOTOGRAPH: MAJA SMEND. FOOD STYLING

: REBECCA WOOLLARD. STYLING: OLIVIA WARDLE

Game season is in its prime, and pheasant

is an excellent choice if you’re cooking

for a small number – one bird serves two

beautifully. Although the flesh can be dry

if you overcook it, this recipe uses brining

to avoid this. It has the two-fold effect of

seasoning the meat and retaining its

moisture. Do still take care not to overcook it,

but roasted and served with a sweet, aromatic

and savoury gravy, as it is here, the pheasant

is a true celebration of woodland bounty.

JACOB KENEDY, CHEF-PATRON OF ACCLAIMED SOHO RESTAURANT

BOCCA DI LUPO

SIMPLE!

HALVE THE

RECIPE TO

SERVE 2

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