Pan-Fried Grouse

Served with pretty purple carrots, a simple puree, and creamy Albert sauce, this lightly herby, pan-fried grouse looks like something straight from a restaurant kitchen. You’ll need to set a bit of time aside, but it’s easy to cook – try it on a Saturday night.

Prep Time: 1 hr | Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins | Serves: 2

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INGREDIENTS

For the dish

• Grouse breasts x 2

• Garlic clove x 1

• Unsalted butter x 30g

• Sprig of thyme x 1

For the Carrots

• Purple carrots x 2

• Orange carrots x 4

• Star anise x 2

• Unsalted butter x 200g

• Cinnamon stick x 1

For the Albert sauce

• Shallots x 2

• Unsalted butter x 25g

• White wine x 50ml

• Double cream x 125ml

• Horseradish cream x 2 tbsp

• English mustard x 5g

• Lemon x 1

• Breadcrumbs x 10g

• Nutmeg (grated) x a pinch

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METHOD

1. Fry the grouse

Trim any excess skin from the grouse and seal in a hot frying pan skin side down, turning once the skin is crisp.

2. Roast the grouse & rest

Add 30g of the butter, a garlic clove and a sprig of thyme to an ovenproof dish with the grouse, then cook the grouse at 180°C for around 7 minutes. Take out and leave to rest.

3. Make the Albert sauce

Finely dice the shallots and cook gently in 25g of the unsalted butter until soft. Add the white wine and reduce until almost gone, then add the double cream, horseradish cream and mustard. Cook until the sauce thickens. Stir the breadcrumbs, lemon juice and a touch of nutmeg into the sauce to finish.

4. Prepare the puree

To prepare the puree, peel and roughly chop the orange carrots into a pan with 300ml of water then gently simmer until soft. Drain the water, add a small amount of double cream and blitz in a food blender until pureed.

5. Fry purple carrots

Spit the purple carrots in half lengthways and fry in a lightly oiled pan until golden brown.

6. Plate up

To serve, spoon a portion of the puree onto a plate and rest the grouse breast over the top. Arrange the carrot around the grouse and finish with a good spoonful of the sauce.