Pot-roasted Breast of Partridge with Truffle and Celeriac Sauce

A classic Claridge’s combination: a princely game bird that appears on the menu only for a few months of the year, coupled with intensely earthy but creamy celeriac roasted in goats’ butter, which elevates it from its lowly root-vegetable status, and finished with decadent fresh Périgord truffle.

SERVES 4

FOR THE CELERIAC:

1 celeriac, about 500g (1lb 2oz), scrubbed 200g (7oz) goats’ butter

FOR THE TRUFFLED MADEIRA SAUCE:

20g (¾oz) fresh black truffle, finely chopped

25g (1oz) salted butter

50ml (2fl oz) ruby port

50ml (2fl oz) Malmsey Madeira

120ml (4fl oz) Madeira Sauce

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE PARTRIDGE:

200g (7oz) salted butter

4 oven-ready partridges (gutted and tied) sea salt

FOR THE VEGETABLES :

150g (5½oz) kale leaves

25ml  (1fl oz) vegetable oil

8g (¼oz) pine nuts

200g (7oz) salsify, peeled and cut into 9cm (3½ inch) batons

50g (1¾oz) goats’ butter

TO SERVE (OPTIONAL):

8 Chantenay carrots, peeled and cooked in a butter and water emulsion for 8 minutes

1 golden and 1 purple beetroot, peeled, baked in foil with salted butter and thyme, then cut into eighths

Cook the celeriac first as this large orb will need a good 30 minutes to cook to the texture and taste we want. Place the celeriac in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add the goats’ butter. Heat until the butter is foaming, then cover with a tight-fitting lid  and reduce the heat. Turn occasionally to ensure even colouring. Test for doneness with a knife, as you would potatoes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7.

Next, make the truffled sauce. Over a medium-low heat, sweat the truffle in the butter for  4 minutes. Add the port and Madeira. Reduce slowly to half the amount, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the Madeira sauce in a separate saucepan. Transfer the truffle sauce

to the Madeira sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer very gently for  20 minutes, skimming occasionally. Season to taste, then remove from the heat.

To cook the partridges, foam the butter over a medium-high heat in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the partridges and baste the birds generously, season with salt. Transfer to the oven and roast for about 6–8 minutes, until the birds appear golden brown.

While the birds are cooking, sauté the kale very quickly in a pan with a little vegetable oil.  Add the pine nuts. In a separate pan, caramelize the salsify in the goats’ butter until tender, about 15 minutes, then drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

Remove the birds from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. While the birds are resting, check the temperature of your vegetables and sauce and reheat as needed. Cut the celeriac into wedges.

To serve, remove the breasts from the bone and carefully remove the skin. Place the kale in the centre of each plate together with 2 batons of salsify, 2 carrots, 2 wedges each of purple and golden beetroots, and 2 wedges of celeriac. Arrange the partridge breasts on top and finish with about 2 dessertspoonfuls of the truffled Madeira sauce over the breasts.

This recipe is from Claridge’s: The Cookbook