Garlic lemon and parsley roasted pheasant

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By Mike Robinson of The Field

Tuesday, 01 December 2009

Garlic lemon and parsley roasted pheasant

Garlic- lemon- and parsley-roasted pheasant
Serves 4

2 hen pheasants
250g (1 block) salted butter
2 lemons, juice and zest
Double handful finely
1 tbsp maldon salt
chopped parsley
20 cloves garlic

I love this recipe for its unashamed pungency. You must make sure that everyone eats it and no one is left out, otherwise the abstemious person will suffer (if not, the AP's partner certainly will).

The huge amounts of butter keep the pheasant really moist and quick cooking keeps it tender. I serve it with an appropriate vegetable such as kale but you can put what you want with it.

Start by cutting the backbones out of the pheasants - easily done with a cleaver or game shears. If you don't have either, buy at least one of them; you won't regret it. Now cut the breasts in half through the front (between the breasts).

Soften the butter in your hands (don't be squeamish), then add the lemon and parsley and salt. Peel and finely chop or grate the garlic and add that, too. Mix the lot really well into a squidgy, stinky mass. Slather the reeking paste all over the halved birds, working it in well.

Now put them on a roasting tray and roast at the fiercest heat possible, 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8 is good. Do this for 20 minutes, then take them out and allow to rest, spooning some melted garlic goo over them during the resting period.

Serve after a good 10-minute rest with a lot of very chilled chablis or gewürtztraminer.

More game recipes in The Field