Roast Pheasant Dinner with Fall Vegetables & Creamy Sage Sauce
In Saskatchewan we have plenty of hunting activity and wild game, and although I don’t partake in the activity I am lucky to have a community who is willing to share. One of my followers reached out and offered up a freshly caught prairie pheasant for me to get creative with!
In the throes of fall, it only made sense to pair this roasted bird with some classic harvest vegetables - butternut squash, beets, and onion.
I knew, like with any roast bird, I would want a delicious sauce to soak into everything. I decided to try my hand at a sage butter cream sauce - which tastes a bit like a herby alfredo sauce.
The outcome was even better than expected. I followed some tips from other food blogs about how long to soak the bird in brine, and at what temperature to roast it, to ensure the meat was tender and flavourful. I also seasoned the beets to be sweet and spicy which paired amazingly with the creamy savoury sage sauce.
I invited my best friend Blaire over to enjoy this full fall roast meal, paired with our favourite red wine, fresh flowers, and lots of laughter.
Big thanks to Jesse for hunting and gifting the pheasant! I baked him some pumpkin loaf and muffins in return, although I am not as strong of a baker as I am cook.
Ingredients
Pheasant
1 Pheasant
3 Tbsp of Poultry Seasoning
1/2 Lemon
1 Tabs Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup water
Brine
8 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Salt
2 Tbsp Sugar
6 Sage Leaves
3 Bay Leaves (optional)
Vegetables
1 Butternut Squash
2 Purple Beets
1 Golden Beet
1 White onion
2 tbsp olive oil'
1 tsp: chili powder, cayenne, paprika, rosemary
2 tbsp brown sugar
Sage Sauce
1/4 cup butter
10 Sage Leaves
1/3 Cup Cream
1/4 cup water
1 tab chicken stock
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water
Optional: fresh parmesan
Instructions
Total Cook & Prep Time: 5 hours (if you are going to use a brine, allow 3-4 hours to brine, if not total cook and prep time 1.5 hours)
Makes Approximately: 2 Servings (with leftover vegetables)
If you are going to brine your bird, it is recommended to start in the afternoon to allow enough time to properly soak it. Brining ensures salt is absorbed into the pheasant which will add flavour to the final product.
To make a brine: bring 8 cups of water, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tbsp of sugar, sage, and optional bay leaves to a boil. Once salt and sugar are dissolved, remove pot from heat and allow water to cool for half an hour.
Place thawed pheasant into a sealable bowl or container, add in brine, and place the in fridge for 3-4 hours.
Remove the pheasant from the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to get started, and allow it to warm up to room temperature.
At this time set your oven for 500 F and allow it to heat while pheasant is sitting out.
Place the pheasant in a roasting dish and rub with olive oil and poultry seasoning.
Dice white onion and slice half a lemon. Set aside 3/4 of the onion for roasting with the veggies, and stuff the remaining onion along with the lemon into the pheasant.
Place in the oven at 500 F for about 10 minutes to crisp the skin.
While the pheasant is crisping, prepare the vegetables.
Slice butternut squash in half, and scoop out the seeds, lay face down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Peel and dice beets and lay out on the baking sheet along with the remaining white onion.
Drizzle the whole veggie pan with olive oil, and season with cayenne, chili powder, cayenne, and rosemary.
Remove the pheasant dish from the oven, and reduce heat to 350 F (leave door open for about 10 mins to speed up the process).
Add 1/4 cup of butter, maple syrup, and water to the bottom of the pheasant roasting pan.
Place pheasant roasting pan and veggie pan in to the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Halfway through, baste the pheasant.
10 minutes before finishing, remove the veggie pan and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of brown sugar. Place back in the oven.
Place a large sauce pan or frying pan on medium heat for sage sauce.
Add butter and sage leaves, once butter is bubbling add cream and 1/4 cup water with a tab of chicken stock. Stir mixture and bring it to a low simmer.
Remove pheasant and veggies from the oven to allow several minutes for them to cool.
Add dissolved cornstarch and parmesan to the sage sauce, whisking until the sauce thickens. Reduce burner to low.
Carve the pheasant on a cutting board, I just used a large knife.
Cut butternut squash halves, in half again. I used the base portion which has a small cavity where the seeds were removed, and stuffed the cavity with the roasted beets and onions.
Smother the roast pheasant with the sage butter sauce plated next to the roasted vegetables.
Top everything with salt and pepper, and a few fresh sage leaves - ENJOY.
