Name: Roast pheasant traybake with squash and apple
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 butternut squash (about 1kg), peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm wedges; 2 red onions, cut into wedges; 1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally; 3 tbsp olive oil; Small bunch of sage, leaves picked; 2 oven-ready pheasants (about 750g each); 40g unsalted butter, softened; 2 crisp eating apples, quartered and cored; 200ml dry cider; 150ml chicken stock; 1 tsp redcurrant jelly; A large roasting tin, about 30cm x 40cm

Roast pheasant traybake with squash and apple

This pheasant traybake recipe is an easy October Sunday lunch for four: two birds roasted over butternut and onions in one tin, then a quick pan sauce.

Gluten-free

Serves4

Hands-on30 min, plus resting

Oven55 min

DifficultyEasy

A brace of pheasants feeds four neatly, and roasting them on a bed of vegetables means the squash soaks up every drop of buttery juice from the birds. Starting them upside down keeps the lean breast meat moist. If you prefer a slower cook, our pot-roast pheasant in riesling and pheasant with pearl barley are both made for cool autumn weekends.

Why it’s so good: Sweet roast squash, sharp apple and earthy sage bring out the gentle gamey flavour, and the cider gravy is made in the same tin.

Make it easy: Buy oven-ready birds from a butcher or game dealer and the prep takes under half an hour.

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Toss the squash, onions and garlic in the roasting tin with 2 tbsp of the oil, half the sage leaves and plenty of salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pat the pheasants dry, feel over them for any shot (see tips) and season inside and out. Finely chop the remaining sage, mash it into the butter and rub the butter all over the birds.

Push the vegetables to the edges of the tin and sit the pheasants breast side down in the middle. Tuck the apples among the vegetables and drizzle them with the remaining oil. Roast for 20 minutes.

Turn the birds breast side up and baste with the buttery juices. Roast for 20-25 minutes more, until the skin is golden, the squash is tender and caramelised at the edges, and the pheasants are cooked through: pierce the thickest part of a thigh and the juices should run clear, with no pink meat.

Lift the birds onto a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Spoon the vegetables and apples onto a warm platter, squeeze the soft garlic out of its skins over the top and keep warm.

Set the tin over a medium heat on the hob, pour in the cider and scrape up the sticky bits. Bubble for 3 minutes until reduced by half, then add the stock and redcurrant jelly and simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly syrupy. Season to taste and strain into a warm jug.

Carve the legs and breasts from each bird and serve with the squash, apples and gravy.

Per serving (Serves 4)

Calories

710kcals

Fat

38g (13g saturated)

Protein

52g

Carbohydrates

38g (24g sugars)

Fibre

Salt

0.8g

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

Shot pheasant can carry small pieces of lead or steel, so feel over the birds before cooking and warn everyone at the table to take care.

For gluten-free diners, check the labels on the stock and cider. Apple juice can replace the cider for a sweeter, alcohol-free gravy.

To feed 6, roast 3 pheasants and double the vegetables, splitting them between two tins and swapping the tins halfway through. Simmer the carcasses with an onion and a bay leaf for a light stock to use in soup.