Recipe: Roasted Young Partridge in a Cocotte

1 Salt and pepper the inside of the partridge and stuff it with thyme, bay leaf and a few grains of fleur de sel.

2 In a cocotte suitable for the oven, add the small cubes of lard, when melted, add the partridge and brown it on all sides, place it breast side up, add your shallots and arrange your strips of smoked breast around your partridge.

Cook covered in a preheated oven at 355°F (180°C) (gas mark 6) for 14 minutes, then remove your cocotte, pour in 0.3 cup (8 cl) of water and cover again to let it rest for 15 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, chop your liver and heart, sauté them a little with butter in a pan, salt and pepper, then add the chopped shallot, remove from heat and when cooled, mix with the foie gras then spread on your 2 toasts which you will then cut diagonally.

4 Then on two hot plates, serve your 1/2 partridge, disjointed, bring the sauce from your cocotte to a boil, pour a little over the partridges, serve the rest in a sauce boat, place a shallot on each plate and the toasts on each side.

If you can find some porcini mushrooms or chanterelles sautéed to go with it, that would be just perfect.