Breast of wood pigeon with sweet potato rosti, buttered cabbage and a red wine sauce

Preparation method

1. For the sweet potato rösti, place the grated sweet potato into a clean tea towel and wring well to remove any excess moisture.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the grated sweet potato and press down to form a disc shape that holds together. Fry the mixture for 3-4 minutes, or until the rösti is crisp and golden-brown, then turn using a fish slice and continue frying for a further 1-2 minutes, or until the rösti is crisp and golden-brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Keep warm.

3. For the buttered cabbage, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the shredded cabbage and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until just tender. Drain well, then return to the pan, add the butter and stir well to coat.

   Technique: Learning to chop: the 'chiffonade' or shredding technique

4. For the wood pigeon, rub the pigeon breasts with the olive oil, then season, to taste, with the salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Heat a chargrill pan over a medium heat, add the wood pigeon breasts and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, turning once, until the breasts are golden-brown on both sides but still slightly pink in the centre. Remove from the heat and set aside on a warm, covered plate to rest.

6. For the red wine sauce, heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble. Add the crushed juniper berries, red wine and thyme sprigs and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Discard the thyme sprigs.

7. To serve, carve the pigeon breasts into thick slices. Spoon a portion of the buttered cabbage into the centre of a serving plate, place the sweet potato rösti on top of the cabbage, then arrange the sliced pigeon breast on top of the rösti. Drizzle the red wine sauce around the edge of the plate.

Less than 30 mins preparation time

30 mins to 1 hour cooking time

Serves 1