Melt in the mouth partridge recipe
Comments(20)
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.
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Thank you for your comments. And a bit of silly bath time fun with the Frothing Sea Monster trick!
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FD
Mmmmm. Can’t wait to try this one. Small partridges are currently £2.50 each from the gun shop in Duns. How many ml of wine is a small glass? Shall call it smallholder’s partridge.
Ta muchly
Hi Sandie
A small glass of wine is about 100ml.
We haven’t had partridge yet this autumn. I think that I prefer partridge to pheasant.
Tried the recipe tonight. It is ridiculously easy to do and I have never eaten partridge that was as juicy and tender.
I recommend this recipe to all.
Hi JP
Great that the recipe worked for you!
I can’t wait to taste our first brace of partridge. We are usually given a brace around Christmas time.
Looking forward to trying this recipe tomorrow.
Bought two from my local market butcher, and was given a pheasant, devided into portions with wild mushrooms, gratis. Had it last w/e in a red wine sauce – next time will miss out the flour as made the sauce to thick, better with a reduction (is that whats now known as a “jus”?) or maybee just a spoon of cream or creme frais?
And no I am not telling you where to find my butcher! but he was just hanging a freshly shot stag.
M
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.
BTW how did he taste?
Hi Martin,
Lucky you – a butcher who gives you free pheasant!
I hope the recipe worked for you.
Yes reducing the liquid makes jus! Creme fraiche would be great with game – thanks for the tip.
Re the solo male partridge – he was scooped up by the owner of the estate and disposed of within seconds of me relaying the news!
I catch my partridge with my Goshawk.
Tried this recipe and can thoroghly recommend it the birds came out juicy and very succulent!
Thank you MarkS,
Really grateful that you dropped by.
Well done you catching game with your Goshawk. Ancient but efficient methods. I love Partridge, gamey but delicate flavours.
You now have an organic free range bird to savour!
got brace fresh from shoot gonna try your method will get bak to you on outcome
First Partridge of the season so far with the Sparrowhawk! Gonna use this recipe again!
Mark.
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.
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?
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.
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
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
Hi Clive
Lucky you – haven’t had any partridge this year yet.
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.
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!