FABULOUS ROAST PARTRIDGE

 

 JUICY INDIVIDUAL ROAST BIRDS

 

COOKING TIMES

Roast potatoes 60 oven minutes + 10 minutes par-boil

Birds 35 oven minutes + 15 minutes resting

Gravy 10 minutes make during resting time

 

INGREDIENTS

 

ROAST BIRDS

2 whole partridges plucked

8 rashers of sweetcure bacon

GRAVY STOCK VEG

1 carrot rough chopped

2 onions quartered

2 sticks of celery halved

1 leek quartered and halved

salt & pepper

 

 

 Drape the sweetcure bacon over the tops of the birds and place in your hot roasting tin on top of the bed of seasoned roasting vegetables that are for the gravy.  Roast at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer.  Remove from the oven and pop under the grill just to crisp up the bacon if needed.  Remove from the pan and wrap well in tinfoil to keep warm and finish cooking slowly keeping all the juices in the meat.  Place the roasting tin on the stove add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer just to de-glaze the pan. 

 For the next stage scroll down to find the gravy method and ingredients.

 

ROAST POTATO'S

4 King Edwards peeled & halved

2 tbsp cornmeal

salt & pepper

100g beef dripping

 

 

Par-boil in boiling slated water for 10 minutes, drain and then leave for a couple of minutes to dry, toss in the colander and sprinkle over the cornmeal and season.  Place the dripping in your roasting tin to heat hot and then toss in the potatoes turning them so that they are fully covered in the dripping.  Place in your oven to cook, after 20 minutes turn the potatoes and repeat this again another after another 20 minutes, this is to ensure a fully crispy crunchy potato with a fluffy centre.

 

CREAMED SPINACH

50g pancetta diced

2 tsp butter

1 shallot fine diced

1 clove garlic fine diced

1 red chilli fine diced

300g fresh spinach

100ml double cream

50g Parmesan grated

1 pinch grated nutmeg

 

 

Pan fry the shallots, garlic, chilli and pancetta in the butter gently for five minutes, then add the spinach and stir once it has half wilted add the cream and bring to a simmer, add the parmesan and nutmeg, stir in well, taste and season if needed, unlikely due to the pancetta, serve immediately.

 

 

GRAVY

All the roasting juices

300ml chicken stock

100ml red wine

1 tbsp quince jelly

1 tbsp butter

1 glug of cassis 

 

Take the roasting tin pan that you have de-glazed with the chicken stock and push through a sieve with the back of a spoon, now bring that gorgeous stock that has been flavoured with all the roasting juices to a simmer.  From the resting birds add any juices into the stock, add the wine and reduce by 1/4, add the cassis and then to thicken add the quince jelly and whisk in the butter, these last two ingredients will help thicken the gravy and give a glossy rich texture too.