There is something wonderfully untamed about pheasant. Leaner and more deeply flavored than chicken, its meat carries the essence of the fields where it lived, slightly gamey and enticing to all the senses. It rewards tender care in the kitchen by filling the home with a warm, savory scent as it roasts, and the result is a dish that feels both rustic and refined through its delicate texture whether that’s at home on a farmhouse table or at the center of a special fall dinner.
To prepare wild pheasant for a dinner party, take the cut up pieces of pheasant and dredge them in flour. Place the wild pheasant into a buttered cast iron skillet. As the pheasant browns, heat the cream of mushroom soup making it into a sauce with white wine. Place the browned pheasant in a baking dish and dollop the sauce and mushrooms on top, baking to perfection in the oven. A sizable splash of paprika finishes off the dish. The dish is best served with wild rice and organic greens from your local farmer.
Ingredients:
One pheasant
Butter for the pan
10oz condensed cream of chicken soup
½ cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP + 1tsp Worchester sauce
3/4 tsp salt
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove of minced garlic
3oz sliced canned mushroom, drained
Paprika to taste
Directions:
Cut up pheasant into pieces.
Check each piece for shells discharged from your firearm. (This happened to me once, and I'd hate for you to crack a tooth!)
Dredge pheasant in flour and brown the pieces.
Blend all ingredients except pheasant and paprika.
Place pheasant in an ungreased 9x9x2 baking dish.
Pour the blended ingredients over pheasant.
Sprinkle generously with paprika.
Bake at 350 degrees covered for 1 and ½ hours to 2 hours.
Remove and cover for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
After an hour of baking, sprinkle again with paprika.
Enjoy!