Roast­ed Guinea Fowl with 30 Cloves of Garlic

(with thanks to Delia Smith)

(serves 4)

Guinea Fowl Roast­ed With 30 Cloves of Gar­lic a la Delia Smith

(serves 4)

1 tbsp butter

glug olive oil

1 guinea fowl, 4 lb/1.8k, dried with paper towels

30 cloves garlic

3 stems rosemary

1 cup/236g white wine

3 stems rose­mary leaves, chopped fine

sea salt and fresh black pepper

Now, Deli­a’s recipe calls for a pas­try rim to your pot, but I found that her sug­ges­tion of foil to replace it worked just fine at keep­ing the bird juicy.

In a heavy, deep pot with a close-fit­ting lid, sim­ply melt the but­ter and oil togeth­er and brown the bird on all sides, turn­ing over with tongs.  Remove the fowl to a plate and place the gar­lic cloves (unpeeled) and rose­mary stems in the pot.  Place the fowl on top of them, pour over the white wine and sprin­kle over the chopped rose­mary.  Sea­son, then place a dou­ble sheet of foil over the pot and clamp the lid down tight­ly.  Roast at 400F/200C for an hour, then remove the lid and roast for a fur­ther 10 min­utes.  Let rest for a fur­ther 10 min­utes before carving.

While the bird is rest­ing, pour the gar­licky juices (leav­ing the gar­lic itself behind in the pot) into a fry­ing pan and sprin­kle with about a table­spoon of flour and a tea­spoon or so of Madeira or Marsala wine, and a table­spoon of cream.  Whisk over a low heat, for the gravy of a life­time.  Carve the bird.

Serve with the gar­lic cloves, which can be squished with a fork to release their warm, creamy, soft insides.