Yield: 6 Servings

Partridge:
• 6 Wild Scottish partridge, breasts and legs removed, bones
• chopped and reserved
• Salt and pepper
• 12 strips Applewood bacon
• 1 ½ cups duck fat, rendered
  
  Pinot Noir Sauce:
• 2 Tablespoons duck fat
• Partridge bones, reserved from earlier preparation
• ¼ cup Vidalia onion, diced
• ¼ cup carrot, diced
• ¼ cup celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise, whole
• 1 clove, whole
• 2 cups Pinot Noir
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
  
  Huckleberry-Horseradish Compote:
• 2 Tablespoons duck fat
• 2 cups huckleberries
• 2 cup sugar
• ½ cup Pinot Noir
• 3 Tablespoons fresh horseradish, finely grated
  
  To Assemble and Serve:
• 2 Tablespoons duck fat
• Reserved partridge breasts

Method:
For the Partridge:
Preheat oven to 300ºF. Season the partridge breast with salt and pepper and wrap with the bacon. Cover and reserve in refrigerator. Season the legs with salt and pepper and place in a small roasting pan. Pour warm duck fat over the legs and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place into the oven for 1 ½ hours or until the legs are tender. Cool completely and remove the legs. Strain the duck fat and reserve.

For the Pinot Noir Sauce:
Melt the duck fat in a large sauce pan. Add the reserved partridge bones and brown. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, star anise and clove. Cook until the vegetables are caramelized, then add the Pinot Noir and reduce by 2/3. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a small sauce pan and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Huckleberry-Horseradish Compote:
Melt the duck fat in a medium sauce pan. Add the huckleberries, sugar and Pinot Noir. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, then add the grated horseradish and simmer for five more minutes. Reserve, keeping warm.

To Assemble and Serve:
Melt the duck fat in a heavy-bottom sauté pan. Place the breasts, skin side down into pan and cook over medium high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until bacon is brown and crisp. Remove the breasts to a warm platter. Add the rendered partridge legs to the same pan and brown for about 2 minutes or until crisp. Remove the legs to a platter.

Place a spoon of huckleberry compote in the center of plate. Arrange the leg and breast of partridge on top. Spoon Pinot Noir sauce over the breast and leg and serve.

Wine Pairing: The Pinot Noir you used in the recipe

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