Roasted guinea fowl with parsnips and stuffing

If you’ve never tried guinea fowl before, then it’s a little like chicken but gamier – the perfect thing to accompany the Fekete Pince Somloi Juhfark. Making your own stuffing is, of course, a little extra effort, but it’s so full of great flavour that it’s definitely worth it to serve with the crispy golden bird and caramelized parsnips.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 small guinea fowl (about 1 kg)
• 1 onion
• Butter
• Dried sage
• Coarse sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the stuffing:

• 5 good quality sausages
• 4 slices of white bread
• 1 onion
• Butter
• Dried sage
• Salt and black pepper

For the parsnips:

• 2 parsnips
• A drizzle of honey
• Dried thyme
• A splash of olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

For the gravy:

• 2 tbsp gravy powder
• 1 pint of cold water
• 1 small onion
• Butter
• A splash of balsamic vinegar
• A splash of red wine
• 1 tsp redcurrant jelly
• Dried sage

Method

1. Start by getting the stuffing ready. Finely dice the onion and fry gently in a little melted butter, with a generous sprinkle of dried sage, until soft. Remove the crusts from the bread, dip in cold water, and then squeeze the excess liquid out and add to the pan with the onions. Fry for a few minutes, breaking up the bread with the spoon. Remove from the heat and tip out into a bowl to cool.
2. Remove the skin from the sausages and pop the meat into an ovenproof dish. Once the bread and onions have cooled, add to the dish and stir until well combined. Place in the fridge for the moment.
3. Start preheating the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). To prepare the guinea fowl, use your fingertips to gently pull the skin up from the flesh, on the breast, and then slide thin slices of butter underneath the skin. Spread a little more butter on the legs, and then sprinkle with dried sage, coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Remove the peel from the onion and cut into rounds about 1 cm thick. Arrange in the bottom of a roasting tin and lay the guinea fowl on top. Place in the oven along with the prepared stuffing, and set a timer for 70 minutes.
5. Peel and top and tail the parsnips, and cut into thick batons. Parboil for five minutes or so, then drain and toss with the honey, thyme, olive oil and seasoning. Lay out in a single layer in an ovenproof dish. When 15 minutes have passed on the timer, put the parsnips into the oven and turn the heat down to 180C (160C fan).
6. Now it’s time to do the gravy. Cut the onion into thin slices and fry in a little melted butter until soft, before adding the balsamic vinegar. In a measuring jug, add a small splash of cold water to the gravy powder and mix to make a thick paste, and then top it up with more cold water to make a pint. Pour in with the onions and simmer gently over a medium heat until the gravy starts to steam, and then add the red wine, a sprinkle of dried sage and the redcurrant jelly. Keep simmering on the hob, stirring regularly.
7. When there are ten minutes left on the timer, take the bird out of the oven to rest. Cover it with a double layer of tinfoil and a clean tea towel, to keep it warm, and leave on the side until everything else is ready.