ROAST PARTRIDGE

Ingredients:

• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 partridges, prepared
• 8 thin rashers streaky bacon
• olive oil
• 4 pears
• all the sugar
• watercress, to serve

Parsnips

• 500g parsnips
• olive oil
• 50g butter
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• a sprig of thyme
• 100g clear honey
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Bread sauce

• 250ml milk
• 1 small onion, studded with cloves
• 1 clove garlic
• bay leaf
• 6 slices stale bread, crusts removed

Method

Place half a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme and half a clove of garlic into the cavity of each bird. Place 2 rashers of bacon over the breasts. Tie the birds with butcher’s string.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

Cut the parsnips into quarters, then cut out the woody root at the base with a sharp knife. Put a little olive oil into an oven tray on the hob and when hot put in the parsnips with about 50g of butter, the garlic and thyme. Cook until lightly golden, then add the honey and sherry vinegar, toss and transfer to the oven to finish cooking.

To start the bread sauce, put all the ingredients apart from the bread in a pan, season to taste with salt and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for about half an hour.

Meanwhile, cook the partridges. Heat a film of olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Brush the birds with butter, season, and brown all over for about 3–5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and cook for a further 6 minutes.

Take out of the oven, remove the string and leave to rest, upside down, in a warm place.

While the partridges are resting, finish off the bread sauce. Strain the milk into a clean pan and bring back to a simmer. Add the bread and mash with a fork until the sauce thickens, but keep it quite rough and rustic.

Peel and quarter the pears. Sprinkle a little sugar into a pan and when it starts to colour, put in the pears. Leave them to caramelise without touching for about 3 minutes, then turn over and caramelise on the other side for another 3 minutes.

Serve the partridges on a big platter, surrounded by the parsnips, pears and some bunches of watercress, and carve at the table. Serve the sauce separately in a bowl.