Roast Woodcock in the Oven
Description
The recipe won't take much time. Woodcock is a very delicate and small bird, but its meat is absolutely delicious! If you were lucky enough to shoot a couple of woodcocks while hunting, I suggest baking them in the oven. For the sauce, you'll need dry (or semi-dry) red wine and rowan-apple jam. If you can't find it, regular apple jam will do—just avoid overly sweet varieties. Serve hot.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
First, prepare the woodcock. Pluck the feathers. Cut off the head and legs—you will only need the woodcock's body. Then gut the bird; it's convenient to do this with a small fork, otherwise you might crush the bones and damage the body (this bird is very delicate). Next, rinse the body and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Now you can proceed to cooking. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Sear the bird in butter on a hot skillet over fairly high heat until golden brown. Use an ovenproof skillet so that you can transfer it directly to the oven afterward.
- 2
Step 2
Then add the wine and jam (or sauce), and wait until the jam melts in the wine. Pour the resulting sauce over the bird. Place it in the oven.
- 3
Step 3
The woodcock is cooked in the oven for a total of 12 minutes. Every 3 minutes, take it out and pour wine sauce over it.
- 4
Step 4
Let the cooked bird rest for about 5 minutes in the sauce before serving, allowing it to cool slightly. Pour the sauce into a deep plate, in which we will serve the woodcock.
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Step 5
Then place the carcass into it.
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Step 6
Before serving the finished woodcock baked in the oven, you can sprinkle with fresh herbs.
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Step 7
Can be served.