Roast Pheasant With Lentils & Button Onions

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 35 minutes

• 4 pheasant breasts
• Butter and olive oil
• 200g button onions, peeled and trimmed thyme
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 100g bacon pieces
• Approx. 10g (1 dstspn) light brown sugar

Lentils:

• 250g green lentils, no soak variety
• 1ltr water
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 200g smoked bacon trimmings or pieces
• 1 onion, peeled and spiced with
• 2 cloves
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 4 lengthways
• Fresh herbs, sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf, parsley (or bouquet garni)
• 1 chicken stock cube or fresh chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Parsley, freshly chopped

Starting with the lentils, put them in a large pan of water together with all the lentil ingredients. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer until tender. The cooking time is about 35 minutes (check with instructions on the pack). When the lentils are cooked, remove the herbs and vegetables and keep some of the stock to serve with the pheasant.

10 minutes before the lentils are ready, heat the butter and oil in large frypan and fry the pheasant breasts for about 3/4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and keep hot.

Add the garlic, onions and bacon pieces to the juices in the frypan, add more oil if necessary and saute until cooked. Add some of the stock to the pan and heat thoroughly.

Slice the pheasant breasts and put on the serving plate with some of the onions, garlic and a little juice. Serve with the lentils sprinkled well with parsley.

Tip: for speed use canned lentils instead of the dried variety. For extra flavour saute a little chopped onion, garlic and bacon pieces, add the lentils and heat thoroughly before serving.