Unexpectedly Made a Gamekeeper's Pie

From roadside to a delicious dish! https://images.ecency.com/DQmUe2ZKZWknwTFrhJspZpSXDKcPeMiWnsQ1hBv8PwRLFZ8/74394e86_90e9_4789_921b_a1dd0065d34f.jpg I am not a hunter or a gamekeeper, but I grew up on a farm. Today, I unintentionally made a Gamekeeper's Pie with pheasant, a popular game bird known for its lean and flavorful meat, tasted for the first time. Game meats have historically played a significant role in British culinary culture. Those with access to game-rich areas have been creating these flavorful meals with these meats for centuries. So here's how it happened this Saturday: we were driving towards Oxford, and the two cars ahead of us hit a couple of pheasants, a male and a female. All I could say was a scream, "Ohhh nooo!" as the birds flew to the side of the road. https://images.ecency.com/DQmegVnn3R1bFGrbyqJ3XbCTmejAf4mVgAHtrLCMaDhamQF/02955ce3_163e_4133_b6c6_4d34ec55c3fd.jpg https://images.ecency.com/DQmW7ye8gx6KhWH4Wp1cxnrWqytUo7Q82wbyBVRUrU5PKfF/861e80dd_fefc_40c5_97c6_08acd18a0f5e.jpg We stopped and checked; they were dead, and we could not do anything to help them. Knowing that they were fresh and had good meat, I hesitantly picked up the two floffy, lifeless birds courageously and stuck them in the boot of the car. https://images.ecency.com/DQmSWPuHoiW3rDHHPtAVFDaApg1arAQ5RzgJ2LVp1LeDW1r/9f6e82f8_37e9_48ec_b662_6eeffdfec931.jpg Back home, I thought this would be hard work to pluck them. Trying to remember how my parents, 30 years ago, plucked the chicken every weekend to make a hearty meal, which is by dipping them in hot water, the feathers easily come off! Then cleaning them, removing the contents in the viscera. Good thing I am not squeamish. https://images.ecency.com/DQmeKqNTeKCJnbMDcUqb4oiHuapVVPavqBv3uo2UXmM3MWN/eff9f730_30f7_4745_a3b9_5281a80b73c4.jpg After they were all nicely cleaned, I chopped them into pieces and boiled them in hot water with salt and lemon for 10 minutes. https://images.ecency.com/DQmP8Y5JHKXVThiih232Hn4jdw9GpfCwd7k6WstQLdGZdXR/4e0c754c_bcdd_410c_9361_1a5c6622bbf7.jpg I drained and separated the meat from the bones! I got a kg of beautiful game meat. Now thinking, what to cook? After searching, I found the recipe from BBC Good Food [recipe](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gamekeepers-pie)]. Lucky to have all the ingredients in my cupboard except the venison sausage, but the amount of meat I have will make up for it. The recipe is calling for red wine; I have home elderberry wine that is waiting for it. https://images.ecency.com/DQmaJqiEHHPhweTGfybVDSawVmn4s2No7axhAPavRh7PBkT/8119ce59_8f34_48a1_8689_0c0eddb4c5bf.jpg It is a very simple recipe. I sautéed the garlic and onion until brown and added the meat. I added a bit of salt (not in the recipe). https://images.ecency.com/DQmRT3sgT2bSHXzv4GWW7Zo6grMQPRkFXGwiVkD7tKYgss5/6f087dc6_83a0_4f62_ac99_4a661f004717.jpg [](https://3speak.tv/watch?v=theworldaroundme/ljuzuvjbzp) Then I added the flour, tomato puree, stocks, thyme, bay leaf and my homemade elderberry wine! While waiting for the meat to become tender and the sauce to reduce down. I boiled all the root crops, suede, and potatoes. When cooked, I mashed the with butter and salt. https://images.ecency.com/DQmeGQmx6U3XFQczCSxfSvxGWiuQCbkwySbTikycM3LktVk/50d58350_8ed2_4b4f_b7a1_b9faefdc29f8.jpg Then I transferred the game filling to the baking tray and covered it with the mashed root crops. https://images.ecency.com/DQmQ4EDYVsqvHubdQKXA2W8z9aJ69Cptb8oyawsewfK4NA8/0f117e92_fbe1_459e_943e_f9841dee800d.jpg I scored it with the tip of the fork. https://images.ecency.com/DQmYpbDAgZTHxk5r9SZdANcpVwz49kZNivTTWsXvCAZsyCi/d31f78de_f940_4cda_8952_f17ad4040928.jpg Placed in the oven until it turns golden. https://images.ecency.com/DQma4o7Xw4jo3ahaobEgZGGpZSFEUK7CxcZNur9VaeH9jma/0321ca50_5219_4024_a605_61045a755c0a.jpg https://images.ecency.com/DQmermsjPyvCyLQn8gmHpaqKA5daRAFQf4ifEvc9opbADt1/9eec53e8_8704_4675_9d08_04084abad12c.jpg https://images.ecency.com/DQmbrm5JLB4zyhGyw9Ht2pNjfQG8YdSQ9Eu4WEsXcR87kPW/e79f02b1_83a6_4d73_8268_1becb0e60ae0.jpg Pleased to have created a hearty meal from scratch that was delicious and amazingly tasty! We all stuffed ourselves, and we all enjoyed it. The elderberry wine paired really well, adding a touch of tang and sweetness, creating balance and a harmonious blend with the richness of the pheasant meat. Would I pick a road kill pheasant again? 🙄 Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone! Mariah 😊