My wife picked up a pheasant at the supermarket for our Christmas night dinner, a small bird of about three pounds, and of course it was up to me to cook this guy. I never made pheasant before, so I referred to my trusty La Rousse Gastronomique for help and found this really simple recipe that I altered a bit by adding red potatoes to make it a one dish meal. I found it came out really nicely, and thought that you could replace the pheasant with any bird of similar size, and it will work perfectly, so I decided to share the recipe with you. A side of sautéed asparagus will go well with this. This recipe works for two to three people.

1 whole pheasant 3 lbs

4 red delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes

1 pound baby red potatoes, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1/4 apple or cherry brandy

A 4Q stove and oven proof pot

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Season pheasant with salt and pepper
3. Add two tablespoons butter to pot and heat
4. Add pheasant and brown on all sides
5. Remove pheasant and set aside.
6. Add potatoes to pot and brown, stirring constantly
7. Add apples and brown lightly
8. Carefully add brandy
9. Return pheasant to pot, breast side down
10. Cover pot and place in heated oven for 45 mins
11. Remove pot and add sour over pheasant and let sit for 5 mins
12. Check pheasant for doneness.
13. Carve and serve with potatoes and apples.

Written by Basil Rene © 2015 All Rights Reserved