Oven-braised pheasant with sauerkraut

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ teaspoon Dried thyme or I sprig fresh
2 slices Lean bacon, diced
2 Pheasants, 2 lb each *
3 pounds Sauerkraut, thoroughly rinsed and drained
1½ cup Dry white wine
1 teaspoon Juniper berries (about 20)
2 Cloves
1 Bay leaf
Defatted chicken stock or water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

* skinned, trimmed of fat and cut into serving pieces (backbones included) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large Dutch oven, saute bacon over medium heat until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add legs, backs and wings and brown in batches on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes.

(Refrigerate breast pieces, covered, until needed.) Add sauerkraut, wine, Juniper berries, thyme, cloves and bay leaf to the Dutch oven.

Cook over medium heat until about half the liquid has evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes. Place the Dutch oven in the oven, uncovered.

Bake for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding liquid as needed, until the legs are tender and the sauerkraut is slightly browned. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, discard backs, wings and bay leaf, season to taste, cover and keep warm. Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Salt and pepper pheasant breasts and place them on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast them for 20 to 25 minutes, or until juices run clear when they are pierced with a fork.

Remove the breasts from the roasting pan, set aside and keep warm.

Reheat the legs in the Dutch oven briefly. Slice the meat from the breasts and lay it over the legs and sauerkraut.

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