Roasted Pheasant, Roasted Apple, Pancetta Roulade

Roasted Pheasant, Roasted Apple, Pancetta Roulade Ingredients/Roasted Pheasant 2 pieces pheasant breast 2 tsp olive oil 2 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped 2 springs fresh sage, finely chopped 2 shallots, finely chopped kosher salt ground white pepper 8 oz pancetta

Method/Roasted Pheasant Remove the skin from the pheasant breast, then butterfly the breast and use a meat mallet to pound to 1/4-inch thickness.

Combine sage, thyme, shallots and oil and rub on both sides of the breast. Slice the pancetta into 16 very thin pieces.

Lay 8 pieces of pancetta on each piece of pheasant breast, leaving the edges of the breast pieces uncovered. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the edges in slightly, then tightly roll each breast piece with plastic wrap. Twist ends of wrap in opposite directions to remove any excess air. Put roll into foil and wrap tightly, twisting edges shut.

Place wrapped pheasant on a sheet pan and bake at 325o for 20 minutes or until internal temp is 150o.

Once cooked, unwrap pheasant pieces from foil and plastic and hold hot until service. Ingredients/Roasted Apple

1 Red Delicious apple 3 sage leaves, chopped 2 shallots, finely diced 2 tsp olive oil kosher salt white pepper Method/Roasted Apple Peel, core and dice apple into 20 1/2-inch pieces. Toss ingredients together and roast in 400o oven for 14 minutes or until apple is tender and golden brown. Remove apple from the oven, chill and reserve.

Assembly Slice each pheasant roulade into 10 even pieces. On each skewer, place one piece of apple, followed by a piece of the roulade, then repeat.

Chef Note The flavor profile for this item is very intense, so no sauce is needed. But if you want to add one, here’s an easy recipe: 1 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup applesauce; 1 tsp apple vinegar. Whisk all together.

Variations For a less expensive option, use pork loin instead of pheasant and smoked apple bacon instead of pancetta.