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Paul Yates

I just winged (pardon the pun) this one the other night and it turned out fantastic. The listed ingredients is for 4 servings.

- 4 grouse breasts, deboned (8 halves)
- 3-4 TBSP olive oil
- 1 medium onion, halved and then sliced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes (I used the kind packed in oil, but one could reconstitute the dried kind as well)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- (optional) Parmesan cheese

1) Rinse and dry the grouse breasts and set on a plate, then season to taste with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Set aside.

2) Chop/prepare other ingredients.

3) Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet (one that you have a lid for) over medium heat and fry the onion slowly (several minutes, maybe 10) until limp and getting caramelized. Add the garlic and continue frying a few more minutes until the onions are quite caramelized and the garlic is soft. Avoid burning the garlic.

Note: If at any point it appears to need more oil, go for it.

4) Turn to medium-low heat and toss in the tomatoes and basil. Stir this into the onion and garlic mixture well, and let it heat through for a minute or two until softened.

5) While trying to reserve the oil in the pan, remove the bulk of the ingredients to a bowl and set aside.

6) Turn the heat up to medium-high and wait for the pan to get hotter (not smoking!) and sear the grouse breasts for about 30 seconds on one side, and then flip them over and give them about 30 seconds on that side.

7) Immediately move the skillet to a cool part of the stove (or shut the gas off, if that's what you are using), and then dump the tomato mixture in on top of the grouse pieces and slam the lid on the skillet.

8) Let stand about 5-7 minutes. The heat of the cast iron skillet will continue to cook the grouse to a nice pink inside and reheat the tomato mixture. If you are using a lighter pan, perhaps leave it on a burner over low heat during this time.

Serve immediately with a salad of your choice and some fresh, homemade bread, or whatever you fancy. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if you wish, or make it available at the table.

My wife and daughters loved it. "This is heaven!", "There's a party in my mouth!"