Pheasant With Wild Rice Stuffing

Ingredients:

3 lbs. cleaned pheasant
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
3 slices bacon

Cooking Instructions

Rinse pheasant; pat dry. Melt butter in a frying pan. Add onion, celery, and mushrooms. Sauté until vegetables are tender and opaque. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients, except the bacon, tossing with a fork. Spoon stuffing into the cavity of the bird and truss the bird by tying a piece of string to the end of the neck skin and pull it over the back. Slip the ends of the wings over the back and press them close to the body. Press the thighs close to the body, draw ends of the string back on each side and up over the thighs. Cross the string between the legs and tie it down under the tail. Place bird on a rack in shallow roasting pan. Lay bacon slices over the top of the breast. Roast at 325° for 2 hours; basting occasionally with pan drippings. Remove string before cutting and serving.