Partridge with Red Wine Sauce, and Puy Lentils.

This was a joint effort with a friend I was staying with in the west country. We both got our heads together, looked in a few books for tips and ideas on the best way to cook & roast Partridge and came up with this.

Smother your partridges with butter and lightly season. Leave covered to come up to room temperature before cooking.
Rinse the lentils in cold water to remove any excess pieces and dust.
Fry chopped smoked bacon in a pan until beginning to crisp, add chopped carrot and a small chopped onion and soften.
Add your lentils, a bay leave and sage. Cover with cold water bring to a simmer.
They should take around 25-35 minutes but this varies depending on type and amount you are cooking etc.
Do not worry about this as it is easy to slow the process or keep them warm while cooking the partridge.
when cooked drain some of the cooking liquid to leave a sauce like consistency. 
Heat some rapeseed oil in an oven proof frying pan and colour your partridge on all sides, do not use a very high heat as you will burn the butter smothered on the birds. You may well need to hold them in place when doing the ends.
Place in a oven pre-heated to 220 degrees and roast for 5-8 mins depending on size of the bird.
Remove from oven place on a plate cover in foil and leave to rest for 4-5 mins in a warm place.
Partridge should still have a pink blush to it when cooked.
While the birds are resting return the cooking pan to the hob and on a high heat melt a knob of butter and deglaze with red wine.
Reduce to a syrup and add any juices from the resting birds.
Serve the Partridge on a bed of mashed potato covered with the red wine reduction and surrounded by the lentils - the mash will soak up all the juices and seasonal veg.