“I’m a pheasant plucker’s son.” I won’t finish this off-color tongue twister, as you can imagine where it is going...
Yes, I am the son of a pheasant plucker, but I don’t know which parent plucked! Dad hunted the pheasant, and Mom roasted it for our table.
But who did the plucking? Dad? Mom? The latter seems the more likely scenario, as I know she (reluctantly) gutted all the fish we boys caught.
Either way, the pheasant we had as kids wasn’t farm-raised and it wasn’t my favorite. It was always dry, definitely gamey, and full of buckshot. Not to mention lots of tendons.
When I was at the farmers market a couple of Sundays ago, Top Knot Farms - my go-to source for chicken and duck - was offering beautiful, fresh, farm-raised pheasant. Yes, please! I had two beautiful Syrahs to serve with it - head over to the Provence WineZine to read about the pairing!
While my mother was a great cook, pheasant wasn’t her strong suit. Maybe it was the material she had to work with. Here was my chance to make a moist, succulent bird that would not break my teeth on buckshot.
I perused and adapted multiple sources, and came up with this wonderful preparation and method for cooking a 2-pound bird, perfect for two people. The carcass and any leftover parts (the legs and wings) made a delicate broth that will, this evening, be the basis for a lovely risotto.
Here’s to pleasant pheasant plucking!
~ David
Roast Pheasant with Marsala Pan Sauce
1 (2 pound) farm-raised pheasant
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot peeled and halved
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig bay
2 sprigs rosemary
8 slices pancetta
juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup Marsala
1 cup prepared demiglace (or rich stock)
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 500°F and position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
Wash and pat the bird dry. Season the cavity and the outside of the pheasant liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the halved shallot and carrot along with the bay, rosemary, and thyme.
Squeeze the juice from orange and set aside.
Arrange the pheasant in an ovenproof skillet (cast iron is a good choice), breast side up. Cover the pheasant with the pancetta slices, including the legs. Roast for 15 minutes at 500°F, then reduce oven to 400°F. Remove pancetta from the pheasant and let it fall into the pan. It will crisp as it roasts. Roast for another23 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and transfer the bird and pancetta from the pan to a carving board. Let the bird rest, tented loosely with foil to keep it warm. Set the crispy pancetta aside.
Place the skillet with the drippings over high heat and, when hot, deglaze with the reserved orange juice and Marsala, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the liquid has reduced by half, add the demiglace and continue to cook until sauce has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter and remove from the heat. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the sauce into a clean bowl.
Carve the pheasant, serving a breast and a thigh-leg to each guest, with the crisp pancetta as a garnish.
Serves 2, can be doubled.
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| My father, pheasant hunting in the 1950s. |
Labels: herbs, marsala, orange juice, pheasant, roasted pheasant, top knot farms
