Pot-roasted pheasant with walnut sauce
This creamy spiced walnut sauce really ups your game, particularly this easy pot-roasted pheasant.
Ingredients
For the pheasant
- 1 pheasant, cleaned and trussed (ask your butcher to do this)
- dash oil
- 1 onion, quartered
- 3 sticks celery, chopped
- 1 head garlic, halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small bunch thyme
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 star anise
- 500ml/18fl oz hot chicken stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the walnut sauce
- 6 tbsp shelled walnuts
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp walnut oil
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- pinch chilli flakes
To garnish
- 1 fresh pomegranate, seeds only
Method
To make the pheasant, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Season the pheasant with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and brown the pheasant all over until well coloured.
Put the pheasant in a casserole with the onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, coriander seeds, star anise and hot chicken stock. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven to roast for around 25–30 minutes, or until cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to rest in the pot with the stock for 10 minutes.
To make the walnut sauce, toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Remove from the pan and then blend in a food processor with the breadcrumbs, garlic, cream and cinnamon. Add a ladle or 2 of the chicken stock from the pheasant and blend again to make it into a smooth paste. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm.
To make the dressing, mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
To serve, joint the bird and spoon over the walnut sauce and the dressing. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and serve.