Pheasant Potpie Recipes

PHEASANT POT PIE

Steps:

• 1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• 2 Add pheasant in saucepan and saute with Garlic and onion until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the onion and garlic for those picky eaters that do not like it.
• 3 Bring broth to a boil in a pot; add carrots, and celery and cook about 15 minutes. Add peas to broth and boil for 1 more minute. Drain and reserve broth from pot.
• 4 Melt butter in a separate pot over medium heat about 5 minutes. Gradually stir flour into butter until smooth. Pour reserved broth and milk into flour mixture, stirring constantly. Add salt, rosemary, pepper, sage, and celery seed to broth mixture and simmer over medium-low heat until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
• 5 Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• 6 Press 1 pie crust into a pie plate and lightly brush with egg white.
• 7 Bake crust in the oven until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• 8 Spoon about 1/4 of the pheasant-vegetable mixture into the baked pie crust. Mix remaining pheasant-vegetable mixture into the sauce; pour into baked pie crust. Place second crust on top of the filling, pinching the edges together to form a seal. Cut your initials into the top crust for ventilation.
• 9 Bake in the oven until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

PHEASANT POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Using a fork, delicately pierce the bottom of one of the pie crusts. This is called "docking" and helps prevent the dough from puffing. Cover the crust with foil and put pie weights or dried beans on the foil to also help reduce puffing. Bake until the edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and carefully remove the weights and foil. Turn down the heat in the oven to 375°F, return the crust to the oven, and bake until golden brown, another 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let the crust cool to room temperature. Set aside until ready to use.
• Heat the stock over medium heat to a gentle simmer. Cut the pheasant breasts into bite-sized pieces, add to the stock, and poach for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a shallow bowl. Spoon a little of the stock over top and refrigerate until cold. Remove the stock from the heat.
• Heat a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, allowing it to melt. Once it's melted, add the carrots, onion, celery, and salt. Cook stirring regularly until the vegetables release their juices and soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Stir in the flour so that the vegetables are coated with a thick paste of flour. Cook this mixture for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the reserved stock into this mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for another 5 minutes, making sure to stir the pot well to prevent sticking. Add to this mixture the lavender, thyme, zest, and juice of the lemon.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cream. Whisk about ⅓ cup of the hot filling into the bowl to temper the egg yolks. Whisk this egg mixture into the Dutch oven with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and add the diced pheasant breast and reserved juices, as well as the frozen peas. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon the filling into the bottom of the baked pie crust. Carefully place the second pie crust on top of the filling and bottom crust. Use a fork to seal the top crust to the bottom crust and then cut 4 slits in the crust with a sharp knife. This will allow steam to escape during baking. Brush the top with a very small amount of cream to encourage better browning.
• Bake until the filling is bubbling and top is golden brown, approximately 50 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 25 minutes before serving.

ROAST PHEASANT

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Stir the chopped rosemary and thyme into the olive oil and set aside. Rub the pheasant inside and out with salt and pepper. Place into a close-fitting roasting pan. Pour the herb oil over top.
• Bake the pheasant in the preheated oven for 1 hour, then cover with aluminum foil, and continue baking an additional hour, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone reads 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing. Baste the pheasant with the hot oil and juices from the pan every 30 minutes while cooking.