Serves: 2

Preparation time: Twenty minutes

Cooking time: One hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 whole grouse
• Small knob of butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 lemon quarters
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 thyme sprig
• 300g chorizo ring, thickly sliced
• 700g new potatoes, halved (or quartered if really large)
• 12 whole, unpeeled garlic cloves
• Large splash dry sherry
• 150ml chicken stock
• Handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180degC/ 60degC fan/gas mark 4 and season the grouse all over
• In a large, flameproof casserole dish with a lid, heat the butter and some of the oil until sizzling, then spend a good 15 minutes browning the grouse well all over
• Remove from the dish, and pop the lemon, one bay leaf and a sprig of thyme into each of the cavities. Set aside for later
• To prepare the chorizo and potatoes pour out the butter and replace with the remaining oil, then return the dish to the heat. Sizzle the chorizo for five minutes, until it starts to release its red oil
• Throw in the potatoes, sizzle them until they start to colour and then add the garlic n Season and splash in the sherry, allow it to bubble down a little, then pour in the stock Cover the dish with the lid, then cook in the oven for 20 minutes Season with herbs, then nestle the grouse, breast-side up, among the potatoes and chorizo
• Return the lid to the dish and cook in the oven for another one hour 15 minutes, or until the legs come easily away from the body. Leave the grouse to rest for 10 minutes, then scatter with parsley and serve straight from the dish
• If you want to crisp up the skin, blast it quickly with a blowtorch