Roast pheasant, game chips and bread sauce with mushroom and Madeira sauce

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.

2. Smear the butter over the pheasants, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cover with the bacon.

3. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/gas 4 and continue to roast the birds for a further hour. Test to see whether they are cooked by piercing a leg at the point where it joins the body - if the juices run clear, and are not tinged with pink, they are ready.

4. To make the bread sauce, put the milk into a saucepan over a gentle heat. Stud the onions with the cloves and add to the pan. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Leave the milk for a couple of hours to infuse.

5. Remove and discard the onions. Stir in the breadcrumbs and butter. Season to taste.

6. Cut the potatoes into matchsticks. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 180C. Cook the potatoes for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Drain and transfer to a roasting tin lined with several thicknesses of absorbent paper to soak up any excess grease. Sprinkle with salt and keep warm.

7. For the sauce, pour the Madeira into a saucepan and add the onions. Simmer for about 10 minutes over a moderate heat, until the Madeira has reduced down to 150ml of syrupy liquid; the onions will be soft and well cooked.

8. Melt the dripping in a separate saucepan and add the mushrooms. Cook over a high heat for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms are really brown.

9. Stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes.

10. Pour in the beef stock and stir until the sauce boils. Stir in the Madeira and onion mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.

11. Gently reheat the bread sauce.

12. Carve the pheasants and serve with the bread sauce, game chips and Madeira sauce.

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Ingredients

For the pheasant

30g Butter
2x1.25kg pheasants
8-10 rashers smoked streaky bacon
freshly ground salt and pepper

For the bread sauce

1.2 litres Milk
2 Onions
24 Cloves
500g white breadcrumbs
100g Butter, diced

For the game chips

750g Potatoes
sunflower oil, for deep frying

For the sauce

600ml Madeira
2 Onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp beef dripping
500g Mushrooms, thinly sliced
40g plain flour
600ml beef stock

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