Pheasant with Prunes & Bacon

Ingredients
Serves 4
  • 2 pheasants
  • 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced
  • 1/2 bottle full-bodied red wine
  • 100ml vegetable stock
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped
  • about 16 prunes, coarsely chopped
  • knob of ice-cold butter, to finish the sauce
Instructions

The sauce for this is amazing and would be great with pan-fried pheasant breasts as well, or rabbit.
Here I served it with mustard mash and also some winter vegetables (carrots & savoy cabbage).


  1. To roast the pheasant, follow the instructions on your packet, or from the butcher.  Commonly it will take about an hour at 200 degrees C.
  2. For the sauce, fry the shallots for 2-3 minutes on a medium-high heat, constantly stirring until translucent.
  3. Add the bacon and continue cooking, stirring occasionally.  Cook for 2-3 further minutes until cooked and just beginning to brown.
  4. Add the prunes, wine & stock.
  5. Gently reduce until sauce is relatively thick - as it reduces, skim off any skin that forms on the top of the sauce.
  6. To finish the sauce, whisk in the butter just before serving.  It will amalgamate the sauce and give it a lovely, glossy finish.