Pot-roast pheasant in riesling

Name: Pot-roast pheasant in riesling
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients: 2 oven-ready pheasants (about 600g each; see Kay’s tip); 1 tbsp olive oil; 25g unsalted butter; 100g bacon lardons; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 1 celery stick, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 350ml riesling (see tips); 650g (drained weight from a jar) sauerkraut, rinsed in a sieve and squeezed to get rid of excess liquid; Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf tied with 2 sprigs each parsley and tarragon); 350ml good quality chicken stock; ½ tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley to garnish; Mashed potato or crusty bread to serve; You’ll also need…; Large flameproof lidded casserole

Easy
January 2019

Easy
January 2019

Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 25 min, oven time 1½ hours

Try something a little different with our pot-roasted pheasant. It’s cooked with white wine, bacon lardons and sauerkraut and best served alongside creamy mash or bread.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 489kcals
Fat: 25.9g (9.5g saturated)
Protein: 46.1g
Carbohydrates: 6.4g (5.7g sugars)
Fibre: 4.6g
Salt: 2.5g

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 489kcals
Fat: 25.9g (9.5g saturated)
Protein: 46.1g
Carbohydrates: 6.4g (5.7g sugars)
Fibre: 4.6g
Salt: 2.5g

For 6 servings

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Ingredients

2 oven-ready pheasants (about 600g each; see Kay’s tip)
1 tbsp olive oil
25g unsalted butter
100g bacon lardons
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
350ml riesling (see tips)
650g (drained weight from a jar) sauerkraut, rinsed in a sieve and squeezed to get rid of excess liquid
Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf tied with 2 sprigs each parsley and tarragon)
350ml good quality chicken stock
½ tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley to garnish
Mashed potato or crusty bread to serve

You’ll also need…

Large flameproof lidded casserole

2 oven-ready pheasants (about 600g each; see Kay’s tip)
1 tbsp olive oil
25g unsalted butter
100g bacon lardons
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
350ml riesling (see tips)
650g (drained weight from a jar) sauerkraut, rinsed in a sieve and squeezed to get rid of excess liquid
Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf tied with 2 sprigs each parsley and tarragon)
350ml good quality chicken stock
½ tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley to garnish
Mashed potato or crusty bread to serve

You’ll also need…

Large flameproof lidded casserole

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Season the pheasants inside and out with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, then brown the birds all over. Set aside on a baking tray. In the same pan, fry the lardons until crisp, then transfer to the casserole.
Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan and fry gently until softened. Add the garlic and fry, stirring, for
2 minutes more until fragrant. Add the vegetables to the casserole, then pour the white wine into the frying pan and bubble for 2 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan.
Meanwhile, add the sauerkraut and bouquet garni to the casserole, then nestle the pheasants on top (see tips). Pour in the stock, the wine from the frying pan and any resting juices from the birds. Season with salt and black pepper, bring to the boil, then cover and transfer to the oven for 1½ hours until tender.
Rest the birds on a platter for 5 minutes, then carve. Discard the bouquet garni and serve with the sauerkraut and juices from the pot, garnished with the chopped parsley. Serve with buttery mash or bread.

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Season the pheasants inside and out with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan, then brown the birds all over. Set aside on a baking tray. In the same pan, fry the lardons until crisp, then transfer to the casserole.
Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan and fry gently until softened. Add the garlic and fry, stirring, for
2 minutes more until fragrant. Add the vegetables to the casserole, then pour the white wine into the frying pan and bubble for 2 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan.
Meanwhile, add the sauerkraut and bouquet garni to the casserole, then nestle the pheasants on top (see tips). Pour in the stock, the wine from the frying pan and any resting juices from the birds. Season with salt and black pepper, bring to the boil, then cover and transfer to the oven for 1½ hours until tender.
Rest the birds on a platter for 5 minutes, then carve. Discard the bouquet garni and serve with the sauerkraut and juices from the pot, garnished with the chopped parsley. Serve with buttery mash or bread.

delicious. tips

Choose a medium or off-dry riesling (look for ‘kabinett’ on the label of a German wine, or ask your wine merchant); a sweet riesling will overpower the dish.
The veg creates a trivet for the birds to cook on, stopping them touching the hot casserole base.
In January, pheasant tends to be tougher than when young in autumn, which makes it perfect for a pot roast.
We’re cooking with riesling, so let’s drink it too. Peter & Ulrich Dry Riesling 2017 (£10.99 Majestic) is refreshing with apricot notes and a mineral finish.

Recipe By

Kay Plunkett-Hogge

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Megan Gomm says:
29th Sep 2019 at 7:59 pm
Really great flavours, I was worried 650g of sauerkraut would be overpowering but the long braising time took away the intensity of the sourness. The pheasant was slightly overdone so I’d check the temp at around 1h15 next time. Definitely a keeper of a recipe.
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