So I figure one of the great things about living in Montana, is learning to cook in Montana. And what I mean by that is, learning to cook fresh, wild game. My husband loves to hunt, and we both love to eat lean and clean, nature fed meat. We believe it is the most humane, ethical, and healthy way to eat meat.
Here is a new dish that we tried out tonight. The original recipe called for chicken, found here. But I am sharing the re-write of the recipe which includes adaptations for the pheasant; and of course, includes the sweet potatoes that pair up oh-so-nicely with this spicy, savory dish.
What you will need:
2 Sweet Potatoes 1 TBS Lite Rice Vinegar
4-8 TBS Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to season
2-4 Pheasant Breasts 1-2 TBS Butter
1/2 C. Spicy Horseradish Mustard
1/4 C. 100% Pure Maple Syrup
You will want to prep the sweet potatoes first, as they will take the longest to bake.
Start by peeling your potatoes and slicing them into 1/4 inch rounds.
Drizzle a moderate amount of extra-virgin olive oil in your well seasoned cast iron pan (a glass or ceramic baking dish will also work fine).
Place your sweet potatoes in the pan and stir them around. Place a couple pats of butter on top.
Once they are ready for the oven, and your temp has reached 400 degrees F., go ahead and stick them in. I like to bake mine for 30-45 minutes, or until tender. Stir or turn the potatoes once or twice (every 10 minutes or so) while baking.
When done, lightly salt the potatoes. Turn the oven off and let them stay in until you have your pheasant ready to go (which won’t take very long at all).
Start by drizzling your skillet with olive oil and turn the burner on to MEDIUM. (Pheasant needs to cook at very low temperatures or else it gets super TOUGH– this method will leave you with tender and juicy morsels).
When the skillet is up to temp. Place the pheasant in the pan, it is okay to put more than one breast in at a time. Lightly cover the top of the pheasant with olive oil, salt and pepper.
The pheasant will start cooking through, slowly– maybe 3-5 minutes per side.
When your breast is lightly browned on each side, take it out of the pan and turn your burner up to high. When the oil starts to sizzle, put the breast back in the pan, just 10-15 seconds on each side. It should look like this:
Take it out of the pan and let it rest while your are mixing the sauce and letting your oven get up to temp (300 degrees F.)– If you left your potatoes in, now is a good time to take them out.
For the sauce:
Combine Horseradish Dijon Mustard, Maple Syrup, and Rice Vinegar in a jar or bowl.
Place your pheasant in a cast iron pan (a glass baking dish works fine, too!) and drizzle the sauce all over. Place in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the center is no longer pink. Don’t let it go too much longer, as that is when your meat will start to toughen up.
(I apologize, this picture was from an earlier trial run- at this point you should be drizzling the sauce over cooked pheasant).
When your pheasant is done, plate it up and enjoy the sweet, spicy, savory explosions of flavor. This sure was a big hit at our house, I hope it is at yours as well!
Montana With Love 