Nebraskaland

18 Nebraskaland • December 2023 By Ryan Sparks GARLIC SHEET-PAN PHEASANT WITH BLISTERED TOMATOES My grandma's cooking style embraced simplicity, seasonality and bringing family together over a home- cooked meal. Her garden thrived during Nebraska's summer, providing her with an abundance of fresh produce, such as tomatoes, cucumbers and a variety of herbs. She also made a point to make the most of everything in her kitchen, including the pheasants and quail my grandpa hunted. This isn't her recipe — having originally come from Yasmin Fahr, food author of Keeping it Simple — but I think she would have liked it for how the bright flavors pair with the charred tomatoes and red onions, for the simplicity of how it comes together, and for how it squeezes all the goodness out of late summer while clearing freezer space for this fall's pheasants. Servings: 4 to 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients: • 1 cup, full-fat Greek yogurt • 2 lemons (1 halved and 1 thinly sliced) • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • Salt • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 2 pounds boneless, skinless pheasant breasts (about 8 breasts), cut into 2-inch chunks • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1 ⁄4 cup packed mint leaves, roughly torn • 1 (6-ounce) block feta cheese, crumbled • 1 ⁄2 cucumber, sliced • Pita bread or couscous In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, the juice of half a lemon and oregano; season to taste with salt. Transfer half to a small container and set in the fridge. Stir the garlic into the remaining mixture in the large bowl. Season the pheasant all over with salt, then add to the bowl; toss to coat and place in the fridge to marinate overnight. Turn on the broiler and place a rack 6 inches from the heat source. Combine the tomatoes, red onion and 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a half- sheet tray, season with salt. Add the last two tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a second half-tray. Add the marinated pheasant, making one uniform layer. Place the pheasant tray on the top rack and broil until the pheasant is charred on top, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler. Meanwhile, place the tray with the tomato mixture on the rack below the pheasant, keeping the oven door closed while it cooks. When the pheasant is slightly charred, remove the tray from the oven and use tongs to turn the pheasant pieces over. Scatter the lemon slices over the top and place back in the oven. Broil until the pheasant is barely cooked through and slightly charred. Remove it from the oven to rest. Move the tomato tray to the top rack under the broiler and cook until it begins to char, around 5 minutes. Using tongs, stir the tomato and onion mixture so it cooks and blisters evenly. If using pita bread, place it on the bottom oven rack to warm. If using couscous, prepare it according to the instructions on the packaging. Sprinkle the pheasant with some of the mint. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges. Serve the pheasant and roasted tomato mixture with the feta, lemon wedges, sliced cucumber, remaining mint leaves, reserved yogurt, and your choice of pita bread or couscous. Garlic sheet-pan pheasant with blistered tomatoes. RYAN SPARKS IN THE FIELD

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