Seasonal Game(2)
Roast Partridge with Potato & Celeriac Gratin
Potato & Celeriac Gratin
As a vegetarian main dish, this might taste good with a bit of added blue cheese and walnut. A variety of root vegetables can be substituted in this recipe.
1 onion; 1 small clove garlic; 1tsp dried sage; 1 bayleaf; pinch nutmeg; black pepper; 1 medium celeriac; 500g potatoes; 25-50 butter; 200 ml stock (or 1 tsp Marigold powder dissolved in 100 ml hot water and 100 ml cider); 100ml crème fraîche; 2 tbsp parsley; 50-100g grated cheese (strong, e.g. Alpenzeller, mature cheddar)
Peel the veg and boil in large chunks until just tender. Chill and slice thinnly.
Finely chop the onion and sweat in a little butter. A chopped rasher of bacon can be added if desired. Crush the garlic with a little salt and add to the pan with the dried herbs. Fry 1-2 min until fragrant but not browned.
Rub a baking dish with the butter. Layer dish with potatoes and celeriac, interspersing each layer with a little onion mixture. If a richer dish is desired, specks of butter may be added between layers. Stir the spices into the liquids and pour just up to the uppermost layer. Dot dish with the remaining butter, sprinkle lightly with cheese and scatter with the parsley.
Bake at 180°C 45min-1h. If cooking with partridge, keep on lowest oven shelf and cover with foil as soon as it has started to brown.
Roast Partridge
This is the classic recipe for young partridge—for a perfectly moist bird take no shortcuts!
Per person: 1 partridge; 1 knob butter; pinch thyme; 4-5 twists black pepper; salt; 2 juniper berries; pinch orange zest; kitchen tissue; 1 rasher streaky bacon; 2 sheets clingfilm; 2-3 cocktail sticks; vegetable oil; flour for dusting; dash red wine (ca. ½ glass per 2 persons)
Bring the partridge(s) to room temperature. Rinse and pat dry. Knead the thyme, zest, crushed juniper and seasoning into the butter and rub the bird lightly inside and out, drop remaining butter into the cavity. (This is messy, so have tissue handy!). Cut the bacon rasher in half, place between 2 sheets of clingfilm and roll out flat. Drape bacon over the bird (make sure breast and thighs are covered) and secure with sticks.
Pre-heat oil (1 tbsp per bird) in a small roasting dish at 200°C (with our crappy oven, I go up to gas mark 8). Place birds onto hot oil and roast 15 min. Remove the bacon and place under/around birds so it doesn’t burn. Remove excess fat. Dust partridge lightly with flour. Pour wine around bird(s) and return to oven 15-20 min until just browned. Serve with the bacon. If desired, the jus can be thickened with a few knobs of ice-cold butter.
Serve this dinner with a cabbage of your choice.
Tags: 'Round the World Recipes, Tag Index
Denni