Ingredients
- 2 oven ready pheasants
- Knob unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 8 button onions peeled cut in ½ through the root
- 2 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 8 baby carrots peeled
- ½ head celeriac peeled & diced into 2cm chunks
- Small handful of sage leaves finely sliced
- Handful wild mushrooms (seasonal such as girolle or chanterelle)
- 150ml dry Riesling
- 100ml whipping cream
- Sea salt & ground white pepper to taste
Method
A quick and easy recipe to prepare, which boasts a wonderful richness and depth of flavour. Perfect if you're wanting to give this fantastic game bird a try.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, 140°C fan assisted (gas mark 3).
- Place a large casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the oil & butter then heat together.
- Add the pheasants & brown all over, turning regularly then remove from the casserole and set aside.
- Reduce the heat then stir the onions and garlic into the fat and fry gently for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the carrots and celeriac then return the pheasant to the pot, nestling it breast-side down in among the vegetables.
- Pour over the Riesling then bring up to the simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid & place into the centre of the oven, cook gently for one hour, turning the pheasants over after 30 minutes.
- Once cooked remove the pheasants from the casserole, checking the leg meat is tender & keeping warm, then add the mushrooms, sage & cream to the casserole and simmer over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Season the sauce to taste with salt and freshly ground white pepper.
- Spoon the sauce around the pheasants and serve with seasonal brassicas.