Recipe: Roasted Wood Pigeons

Name: Roasted Wood Pigeons
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 nice wood pigeons, cleaned with livers and hearts reserved, salted and peppered from the mill inside, then wrapped in thin strips of lard and tied; 10.5 oz (300 g) Bintje potatoes peeled, cut into small rectangles, blanched for three minutes in salted water and drained; 10.5 oz (300 g) button porcini mushrooms cut like the potatoes, or nice small button mushrooms if you can't find them; 1 dozen baguette bread slices; 2 grey shallots peeled and cut into three, and 2 cloves of garlic unpeeled; Melted lard or duck fat

By chef patrick Asfaux 5/5 (5 reviews) · 🍳 4 made it

Prep 15 min

Cook 15 min

Total 30 min

Servings 8 serv.

Roasted wood pigeons is a recipe for those who love game and have a bit of time on their hands. The bird is wrapped in lard, then finishes 15 minutes in the oven after a quick sear. With its mushrooms and sautéed potatoes, it's an autumn dish that ends with foie gras toasts.

Ingredients for 8 servings

Adjust for

servings

4 nice wood pigeons, cleaned with livers and hearts reserved, salted and peppered from the mill inside, then wrapped in thin strips of lard and tied
10.5 oz (300 g) Bintje potatoes peeled, cut into small rectangles, blanched for three minutes in salted water and drained
10.5 oz (300 g) button porcini mushrooms cut like the potatoes, or nice small button mushrooms if you can't find them
1 dozen baguette bread slices
2 grey shallots peeled and cut into three, and 2 cloves of garlic unpeeled
Melted lard or duck fat

Step-by-step directions

1 Preheat the oven to 390°F (200 °C) (gas mark 6-7).

2 In a casserole dish on the stove, heat the fat and when it's nice and hot, roast your wood pigeons on all sides, then place your shallots and garlic around them with a little thyme, lemon and bay leaf, and the livers and hearts lightly chopped and seasoned. Into the oven for 15 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, sauté your potato rectangles in duck fat, then add your mushrooms, salt and pepper, let them cook together for 4 to 5 minutes, add a hint of chopped garlic, then take off the heat and keep covered.

4 Remove your casserole of wood pigeons, collect the flesh from the candied shallots and garlic cloves, then the liver paste and put it on a plate. Pour 4 tablespoons of water around your wood pigeons, then cover, as they need to rest for 20 minutes.

5 Meanwhile, toast a dozen baguette bread slices, chop your candied shallots and your liver paste together (if you have a bit of foie gras, that's nice too) and spread it on your toasts.

6 Here we are at the final phase. On a large ovenproof dish, cut your wood pigeons lengthwise in half, with the potatoes and porcini or mushrooms arranged on each side and the cooking juices poured over. Bake for 10 minutes at 390°F (200 °C), then serve in the middle of the table with your little toasts on the side.

Chef Patrick's Comment

To accompany this tasty dish, I recommend for example a great Madiran (Montus) or a superb Cahors « Prince Probus » from Baldés, with a little thought for my friends Alain D. and JP. P. who will recognize themselves.

Of course, you can prepare this recipe with pigeons or young turtledoves.