Of all the wild birds we consume over the winter months in Ireland, pheasant must be the most under-appreciated and under-consumed. Is it a case, as it is with rabbits, that they're a little too cute, a little too beautiful to eat? It's funny how we divide things up in our mind: wood pigeon, yes; puffin, no. Chicken, yes; pheasant, no. Why is this so? Lack of availability may be a case in point: do any supermarkets in Ireland sell pheasant? Not to my knowledge. Though I would love to be proved wrong.
For the health conscious among us, pheasant meat is extremely lean – though I usually counter this by adding copious amounts of fat, in the form of butter or lardo, to ensure maximum deliciousness.
How to cook pheasant with sweet chestnuts and lardo
Irish sweet chestnut trees are hard to come by, so if you find one you’re in luck. Otherwise, chestnuts are readily available in the supermarket. Lardo is cured back fat from a pig and can be purchased in the likes of Fallon & Byrne or Sheridan’s. You can buy it sliced, or slice it yourself. If you can’t locate it, any cured ham will do, such as serrano, Parma ham, or even McGeough’s air-dried lamb.
Fry a chopped onion in a little butter until soft and translucent. Combine the fried diced onion with 150g of crushed, cooked chestnuts and 50g of breadcrumbs in a bowl. Season with some chopped fresh thyme leaves, and a little fresh parsley and sea salt. Mix together with your hands until the mixture resembles a rough paste. Add a little water if required.
Stuff the cavity of two oven-ready pheasants (pheasants that are plucked and gutted: unless you shot them yourself). Cover the birds with sliced lardo. Place on a roasting tray and drizzle with a little oil, sea salt and some more fresh thyme. Roast for about 45 minutes, until cooked through. Rest the pheasants for five minutes before serving.
