How to Make Pheasant Breast Schnitzels

The most widely known schnitzel on a global scale is almost certainly the Wiener (Viennese) schnitzel, named after Austria's capital, Vienna. It is a hugely popular dish both in Austria and far beyond. It is made with a veal cutlet, pounded to tenderise it, before it is coated in breadcrumbs and shallow fried. The principals of this recipe are exactly the same except it uses skinless, fresh pheasant breast fillets instead of veal. Frozen pheasant breasts work equally well but they must be fully defrosted before being used. I have served the schnitzels in this instance with a simple potato salad but this can be varied according to taste or preference.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 45 min

Ready in: 1 hour (plus cooling time for boiled potatoes)

Yields: 1 serving

• 6 or 7 baby new potatoes

• Salt

• Tablespoon frozen peas

• 2 medium skinless pheasant breast fillets

• 2 small eggs

• 3 tablespoons plain (all purpose) flour, or as required

• 3 tablespoons golden breadcrumbs, or as required

• 3 tablespoons mayo

• 1 large garlic clove

• White pepper

• 1 tablespoon canned sweetcorn

• 2 or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

• 1 small to medium tomato

• 2 mini basil sprigs

Put the potatoes whole and unpeeled into a pot of cold, salted water and put the pot on to a high heat until the water starts to boil. Adjust the heat to achieve a medium simmer for 25/30 minutes, until the potatoes are just softened. Drain, return to the empty pot and leave to cool completely. If you wished, you could cook the potatoes the night before and store them in a suitable container in the fridge overnight.

Bring a pan of slightly salted water to a rolling boil and add the peas. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, drain, return to the pot and leave to cool completely. This won't take long.

When schnitzels are made with such as veal, pork or beef, the meat cutlet or fillet is pounded with a meat mallet to tenderise it before it is breadcrumbed. If you try to do that with a delicate little pheasant breast fillet, the pieces of the breast will be splattered all over your kitchen and its usefulness will be over! What I do instead is place the lightly seasoned (with salt only) breasts one at a time in a plastic food bag and gently pound them with a rolling pin, just to flatten them out a little bit.

When you carefully slip the pheasant breasts out the plastic bag, they should be of slightly reduced, even thickness, but fully intact. You will see that one of these breasts has a little bit of a blood stain. That is simply something that happens with wild meats and it is perfectly safe to eat. If you do wish to get rid of it, simply steep the fillet in some lukewarm salted water for 15 to 20 minutes before use, then be sure not to season it further before it is pounded.

Break the eggs into a flat bottomed bowl and beat with a fork until just combined. Pour the flour and breadcrumbs into 2 separate, similar bowls. Pat the fillets one at a time in firstly the flour on both sides, dredge in the egg and pat in the breadcrumbs on both sides. For a proper, crunchy coating, dredge again in the beaten egg and pat a second time in the breadcrumbs. Lay on a plate and set aside while you prepare the potato salad.

Important: If you try to cook the schnitzels immediately after they have been breadcrumbed, the crumbs will be dry and more likely to burn. If, however, you let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes, the egg will soak partway through the breadcrumbs and help protect them in the heat of the pan, giving you a much more even, golden finish.

Put the mayo into a bowl and grate in the peeled garlic clove. Season with a little white pepper and stir well. Add the sweetcorn and cooled peas before stirring gently to combine.

Gently rub the skin from the cooled potatoes and discard it. Cut the potatoes in half and carefully stir fold them into the salad. Put the bowl of salad into the fridge while you cook the schnitzels.

Pour some vegetable oil into a large frying pan or skillet and bring it up to a medium to high heat. Add the breaded pheasant breasts and fry on a medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes each side.

Lift the cooked schnitzels to a plate covered with kitchen paper and allow them to drain off and rest for a couple of minutes.

Cut the tomato in half by making cuts at alternate 45-degree angles around the circumference, all the way through to the core, and gently pulling apart.

Plate the schnitzels, potato salad and tomato halves. Garnish the tomato halves with the basil sprigs and serve.