Pheasant with Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 850 g pheasant (pre‑cooked; 1 small pheasant)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 slices turkey bacon
• 100 ml cranberry juice
• 400 ml game stock (glass)
• 50 g fresh cranberries
• 400 g kale (½ small head)
• 1 large shallot
• 1 tbsp Rapeseed Oil
• 60 ml classic vegetable broth
• 20 g unpeeled almond kernels (1 tbsp)
• a pinch cinnamon
• a pinch cardamom

Instructions

1. 1.

   Remove any remaining feather remnants from the pheasant with tweezers and rinse it well. Pat dry with kitchen paper, season inside and out with salt and pepper.

2. 2.

   Cover the pheasant breast with turkey bacon, tie securely with kitchen twine, and place the bird breast‑down in a small roasting pan.

3. 3.

   Add 70 ml cranberry juice and game stock to the pan and roast in a preheated oven at 200 °C (180 °C fan, gas level 3) for 40 minutes.

4. 4.

   Meanwhile, rinse cranberries under running water and drain. Clean and slice kale into strips; peel and finely dice the shallot.

5. 5.

   Heat oil in a wide pot, sauté the shallot cubes until translucent. Add the drained kale and vegetable broth, season heavily with pepper, cover, and simmer over medium heat for 10–12 minutes.

6. 6.

   Turn the pheasant, remove the turkey bacon (it is not eaten), and continue roasting breast‑up for another 8–10 minutes.

7. 7.

   Simultaneously, bring cranberries in a pot with remaining cranberry juice and game stock to a boil. Reduce over high heat until about half the liquid remains.

8. 8.

   Chop almonds with a large knife. Remove the pheasant from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

9. 9.

   Blend the cranberry sauce with an immersion blender. Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of cinnamon, and a pinch of cardamom. Sprinkle chopped almonds over the kale and serve alongside the pheasant with cranberry sauce.