Red-Legged Partridge with Wild Herbs & Juniper Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 oven-ready partridges
• 4 tbsp olive oil, for frying
• 2 oz (60 g) wild mushrooms
• sea salt, to serve
• thyme leaves, to serve

• 3½ fl oz (100 ml) chicken stock
• 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
• 8 black peppercorns
• 4 juniper berries
• pinch sea salt
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 4 sprigs of oregano
• 4 sprigs of rosemary

• 1 roast sweet potato
• 3½ fl oz (100 ml) chicken stock
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 roast red onion
• 1 roast beetroot

1. Using a very sharp knife, cut each partridge into four pieces (two legs and two breasts). Slice out the small tenderloin from each breast and reserve. (Also reserve the carcass for making stock.)
2. Prepare the marinade by putting the chicken stock, garlic cloves, peppercorns, juniper berries, a pinch of sea salt and the leaves from the sprigs of thyme, oregano and rosemary in a food processor and liquidise.
3. Put the partridge tenderloins in the marinade.
4. Seal the partridge legs in a vacuum bag, and cook sous-vide at a low temperature until tender (reserve the cooking juices for later). Alternatively, put a dash of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the partridge legs until just golden, and then roast in a pre-heated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 6–8 minutes.
5. Heat 2–3 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan, and lightly brown the partridge breasts.
6. Make the sweet potato cream by liquidising the roast sweet potato in the chicken stock and adding salt and pepper to taste.
7. Make the red onion cream by liquidising the roasted onion and the beetroot, and seasoning to taste.
8. Sauté the wild mushrooms in a little olive oil.
9. Just before serving, remove the tenderloin from the marinade and fry briefly until just cooked.
10. Heat up the legs in the juice that was produced by cooking them sous-vide, if applicable. If you roasted the legs, heat them in some of the marinade. Then put the juices/marinade in a jug to serve with the dish.
11. To serve, put a swirl of the red onion cream on each plate, along with a quenelle of the sweet potato cream.
12. Lay the tenderloin on top of the cream, followed by the breast, and then the legs.
13. Arrange the wild mushrooms on each plate, sprinkle over some sea salt and thyme leaves.