Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 knobs of butter
• 150g/5½oz smoked bacon lardons
• 2 small onions
• finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 4 thyme sprigs
• leaves removed and chopped
• 250ml/9fl oz dry white wine
• 250ml/9fl oz chicken stock
• 2 squab pigeons (each about 200g/7oz)
• legs separated and livers removed and reserved (ask your butcher to do this)
• 1 small savoy cabbage
• finely sliced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large waxy potatoes
• such as Charlotte
• peeled
• 50g/1¾oz clarified butter
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 garlic cloves
• bashed

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• To make the casserole
• heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and knob of the butter in a heavy-based casserole and fry the lardons and pigeon legs for 5 minutes
• or until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions
• garlic and thyme to the casserole and fry gently for 8–10 minutes
• or until soft. Pour in the wine and stock
• bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Return the bacon and pigeon legs to the pan
• cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile
• for the pommes noisettes
• use a melon baller to scoop out small balls of potato. Place the potato balls in a saucepan of boiling salted water
• cook for 2 minutes
• drain and leave to steam.
• Heat the clarified butter in a sauté pan. Add the potatoes
• thyme and garlic and fry for 7–8 minutes
• turning and swirling the potatoes constantly so they colour evenly. Remove the potato balls from the pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
• Increase the oven temperature to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Season the pigeon crowns with plenty of salt and pepper. Heat a little more oil and butter in a frying pan and brown the pigeon crowns all over
• basting with more butter as the skin browns. Remove the lid from the casserole
• rest the crowns on top then return to the oven for for 10–12 minutes.
• Remove the pigeon crowns from the casserole and set aside to rest. Put the casserole on the hob over a high heat. Add the livers and cabbage and fry quickly until the cabbage is wilted and the livers are just cooked through. Add the pommes noisettes and toss to combine.
• Carve the breasts from the pigeons and serve with the casserole.