How to Cook Roast Grouse with Wild Mushrooms & Watercress

  • Prep time
  • Cook time
  • Difficulty medium
  • Serves 2
roast grouse with wild mushrooms & watercress cooked

Ingredients

  • 2 x Young grouse
  • 2 tbls. Poultry fat
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Knob unsalted butter
  • Punnet wild mushrooms
  • Diced shallot
  • Clove garlic crushed
  • 150 ml poultry stock
  • 2 old crop potatoes (king Edward or Maris piper)
  • Bunch watercress
  • Bread sauce (optional)
  • for Bread Sauce
  • 6 slices white bread or sourdough crust removed (crumbed)
  • 350 ml whole milk
  • ½ large white onion
  • 4 x cloves studded into the onion
  • 2 x bay leaf
  • 10 peppercorns
  • 1 x sprig thyme
  • 1 x clove garlic
  • 50 g cold diced butter

Method for Roast Grouse

  1. Remove your grouse from the fridge and bring to room temperature
  2. Gently massage the birds with the poultry fat then season liberally with salt & pepper
  3. Place onto a roasting tray breast side upwards
  4. Preheat the oven to 210°C fan assisted or 230°C without a fan (gas 8)
  5. Place in the centre of the oven & roast for 15-20 minutes, the breasts should be slightly firm to touch
  6. Rub with a little butter, loosely cover with foil & leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving
  7. Saute the mushrooms in the roasting tray until tender then add shallot & garlic for final minute of cooking & set to one side
  8. Deglaze the roasting tray with the stock, reduce to a rich, glossy consistency then pass through a fine sieve & reserve

roast grouse with wild mushrooms & watercress recipe ingredients

Method for Game Chips

  1. Slice the potatoes very thin on a mandolin
  2. Soak in cold water for 1 hour then drain & pat dry
  3. Fry in oil on 130 °C in small batches
  4. Season with sea salt

Method for Bread Sauce

  1. Infuse the milk with all the ingredients except the bread and butter
  2. Gently warm to just below boiling point
  3. Remove from heat and pass the flavoured milk onto the breadcrumbs in a clean saucepan
  4. Cook out gently until slightly thickens over a low heat
  5. Whisk in cold butter to finish and serve with roast chicken, turkey or white game birds

To Serve

  • Present the bird's whole with a finger bowl, mushrooms & watercress scattered around & bowls of game chips, roasting juices & bread sauce.