Melt in the mouth partridge recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Pheasant and Game | 23 comments
French partridge are such pretty birds. I see quite a few when I’m driving around the villages. These are busy, sociable birds that move about in small groups. They rush to hide in the hedgerows with quick neat steps and beaks held high as Jalopy thunders past.
Some friends of mine reckon that they mate for life. A solo male partridge moped around their garden for days until I clomped into a dark barn wearing my hob nailed boots and by mistake, trod on him. There was a soft sighing cry. I rushed up to the house to fetch a torch.
“Don’t worry, he was dying of a broken heart. You put him out of his misery.”
I felt awful.
But when someone sends us a brace of partridge, hob nailed boots are forgotten and we clap our hands with glee. A friend gave me this recipe a few weeks ago. She used a roasting bag. We used our ceramic game casserole with excellent results.
Melt in the mouth partridge recipe (for 2)
Pre heat the oven to 160c (140c fan)
Ingredients:
- 2 partridge
- 6 slices of unsmoked streaky bacon
- 1 lemon
- 2 small knobs of butter
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons of redcurrant/damson/wild plum jelly
- Small glass of white wine or damson gin if you’d like a more raunchy dish
- Salt and ground black pepper
Method:
- Cut the lemon in half lengthwise and squeeze each half over a partridge rubbing the lemon juice well into the flesh of the birds.
- Put half a lemon into the cavity of each bird along with a knob of butter and a sprig of thyme.
- Spread a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly over the breast of each bird and put a spring of thyme on each.
- Season each bird and wrap the streaky bacon slices over the breast of each bird, securing the bacon with a cocktail stick. Place the birds breast side down in a casserole. Splosh over the wine and put a piece of foil under the lid to ensure a snug fit.
- Place in a preheated oven for an hour and twenty minutes (or until tender) 160c or 140c fan.
- Serve with crispy bread to soak up the juices.
Leave a reply
Trying tonight, bought some partridge from Lidl for Christmas and have only got around to using them tonight. We had some cranberry and orange sauce (thick like a jelly) from Christmas too which we have used. 1hr 20min seems a long time for such little birds. Feeling hungary now.
Yummy – I’m going to try this recipe this weekend – first time I’ve ever used partridge and tempted to use homemade damson gin too! Thank you x
We are revisiting this today. Fiona was given a brace of partridge from a neighbour’s freezer recently so: one each with a nice bottle of red wine. I had almost forgotten it!
Bought a brace from the butcher at Cardiff Market and will have them for Sunday lunch. What do you recommend jelly wise? Redcurrant, plum, or damson? Really can’t decide!
Hi Tim
All would be good but redcurrant is very special combined with partridge.
Hi Clive
Lucky you – haven’t had any partridge this year yet.
got a brace yesterday on our shoot going to draw today and cook tomorrow mouth is watering already will let you know how it goes
Thanks for the reply. The oven is usually very good. Maybe the birds were a bit old. When I pierced it with a knife it was running bloody but literally 5-10 mins later seemed almost over done. Very bizarre. There seemed to be a small window of opportunity there! Anyway it was delicious and I will try again for sure
Hello Nathan
Either you have very, very old birds or your oven is not reaching the right temperature – it might be worth investing in an oven thermometer.
Partridge are easy to cook.
Mine isn’t even remotely cooked after one hour and 20 mins in a fan assisted pre-heated oven at 140 centigrade. What went wrong?
Hi Wayne
Lucky you. Generally it’s Christmas before we get our first brace.
Hi Mark
Hunting with a Sparrowhawk – that sounds interesting. Bet it’s skilled though.