Roasted guinea fowl

Method

1. Start by boning out the guinea fowl, leaving the wing bones intact. Lay the bird breast up and use a sharp knife to cut through the skin along both sides of the breastbone, then carefully ease the knife into the cuts and down around the carcass on both sides to separate it from the flesh; take care not to cut through the skin. Cut through the leg and wing joints, then remove the rib cage and backbone. Now cut the boned bird in half so you end up with two pieces each comprising a breast, leg and wing.

2. Next bone the legs. Insert a sharp knife into the flesh, to the bone, then cut down one side of the bone and around it to free it from the flesh.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Mix together the mascarpone, thyme, lemon zest and juice, and some seasoning. Reserve a teaspoon of chopped thyme for later.

4. Lay one of the boned guinea fowl halves skin side down on a chopping board. Pull the breast meat back on the skin to expose a cavity. Roll a spoonful of the mascarpone mix in a slice of prosciutto, then it put into this cavity. Fold the breast fillet back down over the filling so that it is enclosed between the skin and the breast. Repeat the same process to stuff the leg. Stuff the other guinea fowl half. There will be leftover mascarpone filling, which will be used to make a sauce.

5. Heat a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan and add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Season the guinea fowl halves and place skin side down in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes until the skin is golden.

6. Drain off any excess fat from the pan, then tuck a slice of sourdough under each piece of guinea fowl. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10–12 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 4 minutes.

7. Blanch the Swiss chard in boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes, then drain.

8. Gently fry the chopped garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 1 minute, then roughly chop the blanched chard and add to the garlic and olive oil.

9. Heat a non-stick large frying pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the cut portobello mushrooms and the reserved chopped thyme. Gently fry until the portobello mushrooms have become syrupy and dark. Add a squeeze of lemon and check the seasoning.

10. Take the pan the guinea fowl was cooked in and add the remaining mascarpone filling. Heat up and leave to one side.

11. To plate the guinea fowl, cut in half and place the toasted sourdough on to a hot plate, followed by the chard and portobello mushrooms. Add the guinea fowl pieces with a drizzle of the mascarpone sauce. Serve with a little chopped fresh mint on top.