Title: Oven-braised pheasant with sauerkraut
 Categories: Wild game, Poultry
      Yield: 6 Servings
 
    1/2 ts Dried thyme or I sprig
           -fresh
      2 sl Lean bacon, diced
      2    Pheasants, 2 lb each *
      3 lb Sauerkraut, thoroughly
           -rinsed and drained
  1 1/2 c  Dry white wine
      1 ts Juniper berries (about 20)
      2    Cloves
      1    Bay leaf
           Defatted chicken stock or
           -water
           Salt and freshly ground
           -black pepper to taste
 
  * skinned, trimmed of fat and cut into serving pieces (backbones
  included) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large Dutch oven, saute
  bacon over medium heat until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add legs, backs
  and wings and brown in batches on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes.
  (Refrigerate breast pieces, covered, until needed.) Add sauerkraut,
  wine, Juniper berries, thyme, cloves and bay leaf to the Dutch oven.
  Cook over medium heat until about half the liquid has evaporated,
  about 10 to 15 minutes. Place the Dutch oven in the oven, uncovered.
  Bake for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding liquid as
  needed, until the legs are tender and the sauerkraut is slightly
  browned. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, discard backs, wings
  and bay leaf, season to taste, cover and keep warm. Raise the oven
  temperature to 425 degrees F. Salt and pepper pheasant breasts and
  place them on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast them for 20 to 25
  minutes, or until juices run clear when they are pierced with a fork.
  Remove the breasts from the roasting pan, set aside and keep warm.
  Reheat the legs in the Dutch oven briefly. Slice the meat from the
  breasts and lay it over the legs and sauerkraut.