Pheasant a l'Orange Recipe

Ingredients

2 large potatoes
2 parsnips
45g butter
1 leek
100g cavolo nero
2 tbsp plain flour
2 wild pheasant breasts
1 chicken stock cube
2 oranges
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
A handful of thyme, leaves only
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp + 150ml boiling water

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 25 mins

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Method

1. Fill your kettle and boil it. Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Peel and chop the parsnips to match.

2. Fill a large pan with hot water from the kettle. Add the potatoes, parsnips and a pinch of salt. Cover, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 mins, or till the veg are soft. Drain them, tip back into the pan and mash with 1 tbsp butter. Pop the lid back on to keep the mash warm.

3. While the potatoes simmer, trim the roots and top 3cm off the leek. Halve it, rinse out any grit and finely slice the leek. Trim the dry ends off the cavolo nero and roughly shred the leaves.

4. Tip 1 tbsp flour onto a plate (keep the rest for later) and season it with salt and pepper. Roll the pheasant breasts in the flour to coat them. Shake off any excess flour, pop the pheasant breasts onto a separate plate. Set both plates to one side.

5. Pour 150ml boiling water into a jug. Crumble in the stock cube and squeeze in the juice from both oranges. Stir in 1 tbsp each Demerara sugar and cider vinegar. Pick the thyme leaves and add them to the jug. Stir well.

6. Melt half of the remaining butter in a large pan. Add the leek and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 mins till the leek starts to soften. Stir in the cavolo nero and 2 tbsp boiling water. Cover again and cook for 5 mins till the leaves have wilted. Take the pan off the heat and set aside, lid on, to keep warm.

7. Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat. Add the pheasant breasts and cook for 1 min on each side to brown them. Turn the heat down to medium and fry for 3-4 mins to finish cooking the pheasant. Lift it out of the pan onto a plate and set aside to rest.

8. Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan. Tip in 1 tbsp flour and stir together till smooth. Pour in the stock mixture. Bubble for 2-3 mins, till the sauce has thickened. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve the pheasant breasts with the mash, cabbage and orange sauce.