- 15g/½oz butter
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 pheasants, plucked, gutted and ready to cook
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 500g/1lb 2oz carrots, cut into batons
- 4 sprigs fresh tarragon
- 150ml/5fl oz dry Riesling wine
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 200-250ml/7-9floz milk
- 1-2 generous pinches saffron
- 1.2kg/2lb 11oz large baking potatoes, baked until cooked through
- 45g/1½oz butter
- 180g/6½oz sweetcorn, cooked
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the pot roast, place a flameproof casserole large enough to take the pheasants and all the carrots over a high heat. Add the butter and the oil and melt together.
- Add the pheasant and fry, turning regularly, until golden-brown all over, then remove from the casserole and set aside.
- Reduce the heat, then stir the onion and garlic into the fat and fry gently for 3-4 minutes, or until tender.
- Add the carrots and tarragon and stir around for 4-5 minutes, then return the pheasant to the pot, nestling it breast-side down in among the carrots.
- Pour over the Riesling and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bring up to the boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the heat down low and leave to cook gently for one hour, turning the pheasants over after 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for the mash, place the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the saffron and set aside to infuse.
- Cut the baked potatoes in half and scoop the flesh out into a clean saucepan. Add the butter and salt, to taste, and place over a low heat.
- Gradually add the saffron milk, mashing continuously. Stop and assess the texture – if you prefer your mash softer and runnier then add more milk.
- Add the sweetcorn and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- To finish the pot roast, check that the pheasant is tender and cooked through, then lift out onto a serving plate and keep warm.
- Add the cream to the casserole and simmer for two minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Spoon the sauce around the pheasants and serve the mash alongside.