Pheasant with Chestnuts

Ingredients

• 2 young kitchen-ready pheasants
• 2 egg yolks
• 300 g dumpling bread
• 1 can chestnuts
• 5 dried apricots
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• pepper (ground)
• Salt
• 2 pork nets
• 2 tbsp oil
• 0.125 l red wine
• 0.25 l chicken broth
• 1 tbsp gooseberry jam
• 800 g small potatoes (from the day before)
• 200 g chanterelles
• 0.125 l heavy cream
• 0.5 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• pepper (ground)
• 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• parsley
• 3 gooseberry stems

Instructions

1. 1.

   Separate the breasts from the pheasants. Detach the legs and remove meat from bones and tendons. Finely chop the detached leg meat in a food processor. Soak apricots for 20 minutes in hot water. Cut three‑quarters of the chestnuts and the apricots into small pieces. Soak dumpling bread in milk.

2. 2.

   Mix leg meat, egg yolks, dumpling bread, apricots, chestnuts, parsley well and season with salt and pepper. Soak pork nets in lukewarm water, then lay them out on a cloth. Cut into four equal pieces and place one pheasant breast on each. Spread the stuffing thickly over each breast and carefully wrap it with the net.

3. 3.

   Heat oil and brown the pheasant packages skin side down for about 8 minutes over medium heat. Remove and keep warm wrapped in foil. Puree the remaining chestnuts.

4. 4.

   Deglaze the pan with red wine, add chicken broth and reduce over high heat. Add gooseberry jam and pureed chestnuts, simmer briefly. Fry potatoes in butter. Clean chanterelles, rinse quickly and drain well. Heat butter, add shallots and chanterelles, cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Deglaze with cream, reduce slightly, then season with parsley, pepper and nutmeg.

5. 5.

   Arrange the breasts on a plate, pour chestnut sauce over them, and serve with potatoes, chestnuts and chanterelles. Garnish with gooseberries and parsley.