Prosciutto-wrapped pheasant breasts

I'll be honest. I had never cooked pheasant, but I'm always willing to try something new. Only three of my cookbooks have recipes for pheasant so I used the web for information. The website Field was very helpful and provided the inspiration for this recipe. The one bit of advice that I decided to try was to cook it in bacon fat. I also found a lot of information in the cookbook Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen. She has a lot of interesting information on how long to hang a pheasant and other tidbits on other wild game. Luckily I was given just the pheasant breasts. I typically do not like sage, but it pairs beautifully with the pheasant. It's worth the time and effort to buy fresh sage if you don't have it in your garden.

  
    Recipe serves
    Active time
    Total time
  

    4 people
    20m
    20m
  

  
    Special equipment needed
  
    Plastic wrap
  
    Large non-stick skillet

  
    Ingredients
  
    4 pheasant breasts
  
    1/4 cup sage leaves, finely chopped
  
    4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Cotija cheese
  
    4 slices prosciutto
  
    freshly ground pepper
  
    2 - 3 tablespoons bacon fat

  
    Variations
  
    • Add chopped garlic with the sage leaves.
  
    • Drizzle with a balsamic vinegar reduction.

  
    Storage
  
    • Store any remaining pheasant covered in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days. Add the chopped leftovers to a salad, quesadilla, or omelet.

  
    Instructions
  
    • Put the breasts flat on a cutting board.
  
    • Sprinkle 1/4 of the sage and 1 tablespoon cheese on the top of each breast.
  
    • Using one piece of prosciutto for each breast, wrap it around the breast keeping as much of the cheese on the breast as possible. Sprinkle both sides of the wrapped breast with freshly grated pepper.
  
    • Put plastic wrap over the breasts with about two inches hanging over the breast. See pictures below.
  
    • With your pan or other heavy flat object, hit the breasts to flatten them to about 1/4 inch.
  
    • Heat enough bacon fat in the bottom of a non-stick skillet to have a very light layer. When the fat is hot, add the pheasant breasts and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully turn and cook another 2 minutes. Check to see that the liquid runs clear when you cut into the center.
  
    • Serve immediately.

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