Cheese Crusted Pheasant Breast with Hasselback Potatoes

 

Cheese crusted pheasant breast with hasselback potatoes

Hasselback potatoes are a lot easier to prepare than they may first appear and are a great way to add an extra little bit of class to your serving plate. They work very well with this simple, pan fried pheasant breast, topped with a cheesy combination of peppers.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 1 hour 15 min

Ready in: 1 hour 30 min

Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 medium baking potatoes
• 1 large skinless pheasant breast fillet
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and moderately finely diced
• 1/4 green bell pepper, seeded and moderately finely diced
• 2 ounce (50g) piece of cheddar or similar hard cheese, grated
• Pinch of chilli powder (optional)

Combining flavourings for hasselback potatoes

Method

Put your oven on to preheat to 200C/Gas Mark 6/400F.

Pour the olive oil into a glass or stone bowl. Add the garlic, rosemary and a generous pinch of salt. Stir very well to combine.

Skewered and sliced baking potatoes

Wash the potatoes, dry with kitchen paper and sit them on a wooden chopping board. The potatoes have to be threaded on to a metal skewer and you want to go through them lengthways about half an inch (1.25cm) up from the bottom as you view them on the chopping board. Take your time doing this to ensure you do it right and avoid piercing your hand with the skewer. The easiest way is to sit the potatoes up on one end, one at a time, and force the skewer from the top, down and through.

Sit the potatoes back on the chopping board, skewered sides down. Take a very sharp knife and make a series of cuts across the potatoes and down through to the skewer, perhaps just slightly less than a quarter inch (0.6cm) apart. Don't make them too close together or you risk taking a wedge out of the potato!

Sit the potatoes on a baking tray, cut sides up. Pour the oil mix carefully over the top and gently rub it in with your hands, trying to ensure as much as possible goes down between the cuts. Put the tray in to the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cheesy combination for topping pheasant breast

Season the pheasant breast on both sides with salt and pepper and place it in a small, plastic freezer bag. Lightly pound with such as a small rolling pin, just to flatten it slightly and help tenderise it. Be very careful not to use too much force or you will tear the delicate meat. This is not essential but does make a big difference to the finished product.

When the potatoes have been in the oven for 1 hour, pour a little vegetable oil into a frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Lay the pheasant breast in the pan to fry on a low to medium heat for 4 minutes on each side. Turn off the heat, remove the pan to a heatproof cool surface and allow the breast to rest for 5 minutes. Put your kitchen grill/broiler on to preheat to its maximum setting.

Combine the cheese, bell peppers, chilli powder and some black pepper in a small bowl.

Hasselback potatoes removed from oven

Remove the potatoes from the oven to your chopping board, protecting your hands at all times with oven gloves as the skewer and the potatoes will be incredibly hot. Holding the handle of the skewer with one hand, use a fork to slide the potatoes off the skewer and on to your serving plate. If they are fully cooked, they should easily slide free.

Cheesy combination is made to top pheasant breast

Carefully arrange the cheesy combination on top of the pheasant breast. Place the pan under the heat of the grill/broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Tucking into cheesy pheasant breast and hasselback potatoes

Lift the cheesy pheasant breast to your plate with a spatula and serve.