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5.0 from 15 votes

Pheasant Thighs with Roasted Garlic and Root Vegetables

Don't get all hung up on the parsley root, although if you can find it use it. Parsnips are an excellent substitute, but so are carrots of any color, turnips, rutabagas or celery root. Or use a variety. Ideally you will have skin-on thighs here, but this recipe works with skinless thighs, too. Obviously chicken thighs are a good sub if you don't have pheasant, and turkey -- wild or domesticated -- works, too, as would the thighs off a ruffed grouse. The one thing not to skimp on is the roasted garlic. Yes, you want two whole heads. Don't be scared: The flavor sweetens and mellows once the garlic has been roasted.

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 210 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 heads of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 to 2 pounds pheasant or turkey thighs
  • salt
  • 2 tablespoons pheasant fat, chicken fat or butter
  • 1 large onion, sliced thinly root to tip
  • 1 pound parsley roots, or other roots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1/4 cup minced parsley, for garnish
  • Zest and juice of a lemon
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Start by roasting the garlic. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the top quarter off the heads. Nestle them into some foil and drizzle the olive oil into the cut ends. Close the foil and set in the oven to roast until browned and soft, about 40 to 50 minutes. When the garlic is done, drop the heat to 325°F.
  2. Meanwhile, make a quick stock from the greens and peelings from the root vegetables and parsley. Chop the stems of the parsley you're using to garnish, and add them to the peelings of the roots, along with the tops if you have them. I like to add the fronds from a fennel bulb, too, but it's not strictly necessary. Cover everything with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Drop the heat to a simmer and cook gently while the garlic is roasting.
  3. While all this is going on, brown the pheasant thighs in the pheasant fat (or butter) in a large Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot. Salt them as they cook. Once the pheasant has browned, set it aside for the moment and saute the onion over medium-high heat until the edges brown. Salt the onion as it cooks, too.
  4. When the garlic is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit. Put the root vegetables in the Dutch oven with the onions and squeeze out the garlic into the pot. Set the pheasant skin side up on top of everything. Strain the stock and pour enough into the Dutch oven to come up to the level of the skin on the pheasant. Don't submerge them. Sprinkle a little salt over everything.
  5. Cover the pot, put it in the oven and simmer gently for 90 minutes. When the thighs are tender, uncover the pot and jack the heat up to 425°F to re-crisp the pheasant skin. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. When you are ready to serve, take the Dutch oven off the heat and add the minced parsley, lemon zest and juice, and grind some pepper over everything. Serve with crusty bread, potatoes or rice.

Notes

  • Serve this dish with a full-bodied white wine such as a Cotes du Rhone, Chardonnay, Viognier or an off-dry Riesling. For beer, go with a crisp lager or a pale ale. Once made this will keep in the fridge for a week.

Nutrition Information

Calories 210kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 24g (8%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Cholesterol 35mg (12%) Sodium 43mg (2%) Potassium 560mg (16%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 344IU (7%) Vitamin C 27mg (30%) Calcium 58mg (6%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 210

% Daily Value*

Calories 210kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Protein 8g 16%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 35mg 12%
Sodium 43mg 2%
Potassium 560mg 12%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 344IU 7%
Vitamin C 27mg 30%
Calcium 58mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.