Roast Partridge in a Lightly Curried Cream Sauce

Drogo
Servings

1-2

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

This roast partridge with a lightly curried cream sauce is a simple way to serve this flavourful game bird while offering something a little different from the more traditional wine-based sauces. Roasted over onion and garlic with butter and thyme, the partridge develops plenty of flavour while remaining the star of the dish.

The pan juices are then transformed into a rich curried cream sauce using chicken stock, crème fraîche and medium curry powder. The curry flavour is deliberately subtle, complementing rather than overpowering the natural flavour of the bird.

If you're looking for a partridge recipe that's easy enough for a relaxed dinner but still feels special, this is a great option. Serve the partridge curry with potatoes or a vegetable gratin to soak up plenty of the creamy sauce.

Ingredients

  • 4 red legged partridge
  • 200ml chicken stock
  • 1-2 tablespoons creme fraiche
  • 1 onion, thickly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon medium curry powder
  • 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour

Directions

    Method

    1. Step 1, Preheat the oven to 220°C.
    2. Step 2, Place the thickly sliced onion and unpeeled garlic cloves into a roasting tin and toss with a little oil. Sit the partridge on top, then place a chunk of butter and some fresh thyme inside the cavity of each bird. Rub the outside of the partridge with more butter or oil and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
    3. Step 3, Roast the partridge in the oven for 15 minutes. Once cooked, remove the birds from the roasting tin, cover and leave them to rest while you prepare the sauce.
    4. Step 4, Place the roasting pan over a medium heat and deglaze it with the chicken stock. Allow the stock to bubble and reduce, scraping up all the caramelised pieces from the bottom of the roasting tin to incorporate them into the sauce.
    5. Step 5, Combine the cornflour with a little of the gravy to create a smooth paste. Whisk this back into the gravy to thicken it. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche and curry powder, then return to a gentle heat for a few minutes until the curry powder has cooked out and you have a smooth curried cream sauce. Check the seasoning and serve with the rested partridge.