Like grey partridge, grouse requires very little effort, and in my book, has such an intense flavour that a powerful accompaniment like ketchup works very well indeed. The ketchup recipe does make a lot, but it will keep in the fridge indefinitely.
Ingredients
Ketchup
- 250 g soft ripe pears, (any variety will do, but they need to be very ripe), peeled, halved, cored and chopped
- 100 ml cider vinegar
- 100 ml water, plus another 50ml
- 0.5 tsp ground allspice
- 0.5 tsp ground cloves
- 20 g good-quality vegetable stock cubes, (2x 10g) crumbled
- 50 ml olive oil
- 75 g muscovado sugar
- 250 g sweet potato, peeled and very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with a little cold water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grouse
- 4 young grouse
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp any oil
Instructions
- Put the pears in a saucepan with the vinegar, 100ml water, spices, stock cubes, olive oil and sugar and cook for about 15 minutes until they become a light pulp.
- Cook the sweet potato in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes until very soft and overcooked. Drain well.
- Add the sweet potato to the cooked pears, just cover with water and cook for a further 15 minutes. Whizz in a blender or food processor to a fine sauce/puree.
- Return to the pan.
- Stir in the cornflour mixture, cook until thickened, seasoning well with salt and pepper. The final result should resemble thick double cream.
- GROUSE
- Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.
- Heat the butter with the oil in an ovenproof frying pan until foaming and a nutty brown colour.
- Season the grouse inside and out, then add to the pan, each bird one side down, and cook for 1 minute until browned.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5 minutes. Next, turn each bird onto the other side, spoon over the buttery juices and roast for a further 5 minutes. Finally, turn the bird's breast up, again spoon over the buttery juices and roast for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, then place the bird's breast side down on a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the birds to a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, slice through the skin where the leg is attached to the breast and then pull the leg back on itself so that the ball and socket joint pops open and carefully pull the leg away.
- Carefully slice down one side of the breastbone, cut right along to the wing and then cut through the wing joint. Tease the flesh away from the crown and gently pull the breast meat away. The meat will be nice and pink. Repeat on the other side.
- Cover the legs and breast meat with foil and keep warm while you repeat with the other three birds.
- To serve, cross two legs on a warm plate and then lay the two breasts on top, with a small bowl of the ketchup on the side ‚ simple and to the point.
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Notes
Nutrition Facts
Roast Grouse with Spiced Pear & Sweet Potato Ketchup
Amount per Serving
Calories
1187
% Daily Value*
Fat
52
g
80
%
Saturated Fat
9
g
56
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
27
mg
9
%
Sodium
1136
mg
49
%
Potassium
2218
mg
63
%
Carbohydrates
44
g
15
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
27
g
30
%
Protein
127
g
254
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
