A peppercorn sauce for woodcock

[kgb]

Just used this one https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/peppercorn-sauce-recipe-1962817 following closely but not exactly, and it turned out damn good!  I'd actually roasted the (2) plucked woodcock early this past week in a pan with a domed lid, frying a single piece of thick bacon first for the grease, then set them in the fridge for 4 days.  Had too many other meals planned for the week already, otherwise no reason to "age" them like that.

 

Took off the legs and sliced the breast meat of the cooked birds into strips as best I could, then briefly heated them in olive oil in the pan and kept warm on a plate on the stove.  Made the sauce according to the recipe and when it finished turned the heat way down and added the bird flesh back to the pan.  Seems like mushrooms would be a good addition. I got the idea of looking for a peppercorn option from the label on a tin of smoked clams recommending adding them to one.  This violates the rules of not fully cooking woodcock, but it didn't seem to matter at all.

[1971snipe]

I'll try this when/if I get some woodcock.  I wanted to get a bottle of good cognac anyway.  Thanks for posting this.