Recipe Serves 4
If you’re fortunate enough to have a pheasant that has lived its life in the woods, this enticing dish will showcase the wild bird’s taste, which is gamier than that of a farm-raised pheasant. It plays well against the robust flavors of Swiss chard, wild mushrooms, and sweet potato perfumed with orange and vanilla.
Ingredients • Sweet Potato-Purée (recipe follows) • 2 teaspoons juniper berries, finely ground • 2 male wild Scottish pheasants, 1 ¾ pounds each, giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry, wing tips turned under • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste • 2 medium bunches fresh sage • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil • ¾ pound red Swiss chard • 1 cup assorted wild mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean, and sliced • ¼ cup dry white wine • ¾ cup diced onion • 1 ounce smoked slab bacon, sliced into thin pieces • 1 cup chicken stock Directions1. Prepare Sweet Potato-Vanilla Purée. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Rub ½ teaspoon ground juniper berries into upper cavity and on breast and sides of each pheasant. Season with salt and pepper. Place 1 bunch of sage in cavity of each bird, and truss birds with kitchen string. Using 1 ½ tablespoons of the butter for each bird, rub entire bird with butter. 3. Heat a 12-inch ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, then birds, and sear, turning to lightly brown all sides. Transfer skillet to oven with birds breast side up. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reads 135°F for medium, about 15 minutes. Transfer birds to a platter, keep warm, and allow to rest for 10 to 12 minutes. Reserve pan and drippings. 4. Remove stems from Swiss chard leaves, and cut stems into 1 ½ inch pieces; chop leaves into medium pieces and reserve. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet, add mushrooms, and sauté quickly until mushrooms are lightly browned and begin to soften; set aside. 5. Bring white wine to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan over high heat, and reduce by three-quarters. Add it to pan the birds were roasted in and, over medium-high heat, scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon to deglaze. Add onions and bacon, and lower heat to medium. Stir until onions are transparent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add Swiss chard stems, and sauté until barely render, about 4 minutes. Add chard leaves and chicken stock. Reduce chicken stock by half. Add sautéed mushrooms and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon butter until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm. 6. To serve, carve pheasants, removing the breast meat, drumsticks, and thighs. Debone drumsticks and thighs. Divide mushrooms, Swiss chard, and sauce among 4 warmed dinner plates. Top with a breast, drumstick, and thigh, and serve with Sweet Potato-Vanilla Purée. NOTE: Wild game may contain tiny pieces of shot that can’t be removed before cooking. It is not harmful to the meat, but caution should be taken when eating it. Ingredients for Sweet Potato-Vanilla Purée • 1 ¾ pounds sweet potatoes • ½ cup heavy cream • 1 teaspoon firmly packed grated orange zest • 1 vanilla bean • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteDirections for Sweet Potato-Vanilla Purée 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place whole potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake, turning two or three times during cooking, until a fork can pierce them without any resistance, about 45 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool enough to be handled. Split in half lengthwise. 2. With a spoon, scoop pulp into a food processor; avoid including any skin. Combine heavy cream and orange zest in a small saucepan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape pulp into pan; reserve pod for another use. Place pan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat. Let purée until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Season with salt and pepper. If necessary, cover and reheat in a preheated 300°F oven, or transfer to a microwave-safe dish and reheat until hot.D’ARTAGNAN’S GLORIOUS GAME COOKBOOKwritten by Ariane Daguin, George Faison, and Joanna Pruess. Click here to order the complete set of recipes!
