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RECIPE OF THE MONTH - OCTOBER

Pheasant Wellington with Potato Crisps Serves 4
2 Pheasants (legs and breasts removed from carcase)
500g Puff Pastry
500g Spinach
100g cooked and shelled Chestnuts (roughly chopped)
2 egg yolks lightly mixed (egg wash)
4 medium sized Maris piper potatoes
8 Tbsps. Goose Fat
Braising Liquor:
1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 bulb garlic all roughly chopped
2 litres water (with one tablespoon of flour whisked in)
250ml red wine
Put all ingredients of braising liquor into a pan, including pheasant carcasses and the legs, bring to boil and simmer for an hour and a half, leave to cool in liquid. Once cool enough to handle remove legs and pick meat off into a bowl, pass the stock through a sieve and start to reduce for gravy.
Peel the potatoes and slice very thinly (preferably on a mandolin). On a low heat put two tablespoons of goose fat into a non-stick frying pan, once the fat is hot place the potatoes into the pan in whatever pattern you like as long as each slice overlaps by half, season with a little salt and fry on each side until golden, turning over only once one side is cooked, this should take about ten minutes each side. These can be made in advance (maximum a day) and although not essential to the dish they are satisfying to make and do finish it off nicely whilst adding a crunch.
Wilt the spinach in a saucepan with a little butter until cooked, place on a tray and cool in the fridge quickly, once cool squeeze as much liquid out as possible, add the spinach to the picked pheasant meat along with the chestnuts, season with a little salt and pepper.
Season and Seal the pheasant breasts quickly in a little oil remove from pan and place on a plate to cool. Divide the pastry into four and roll out to rectangles of roughly 14cm by 20cm. place some of the spinach mixture in the middle of the pastry then a pheasant breast on top then some more spinach mix. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash and bring longest sides together so they overlap encasing the pheasant, crimp the other edges together so it is sealed. Don’t fold under as this will result in the pastry not cooking evenly. Repeat this four times. Place on a non-stick baking tray and bake in oven at 200’C for 18 minutes.
To finish the gravy reduce the stock until you have about a litre left, at this point taste it and season if necessary. Serve with seasonal vegetables, at the moment I would suggest purple sprouting/tender stem broccoli.