Serves 6 Many people are too frightened to cook pheasant because they believe that it is too complicated to prepare. Well, I will prove that this is not the case with this typical Northern Italian recipe that will leave your guests completely gobsmacked with the flavour and presentation. Please make sure that once the pheasant is cooked, you let it rest for a good ten minutes so it becomes tender. You can try this recipe with a large chicken, if you like. 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from the stalks 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the sprigs 8 garlic cloves 1 pheasant, cut in half down the breastbone 3 carrots, unpeeled and cut into 3cm chunks 3 courgettes, cut into 3cm chunks 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Finely chop the rosemary, thyme and garlic with a sharp knife. Make several cuts in the skin of the pheasant and stuff the herb mixture into the cuts. Place the prepared vegetables in a roasting tin, drizzle with half of the oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Lay the pheasant on top of the vegetables, skin side up, drizzle with the remaining oil and roast in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, baste the pheasant with the cooking juices from the bottom of the tin. To check that the bird is cooked, pierce each half with a skewer; if the juices run clear, it is ready. Remove the pheasant from the tin, cut each piece into three and replace on top of the vegetables. Roast for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes to allow the meat to relax and become more tender. To serve, place the vegetables and the pheasant on a large serving plate and enjoy with a beautiful bottle of wine. Recipe taken from Buonissimo! by Gino D’Acampo (Kyle Cathie, £14.99 with photography by Kate Whitaker)