Anyone cooked grouse?

[CatKisser]

A mate has been on a shoot this weekend and is giving me a grouse to cook! Never tried it before and don't want to cock it up. When I have pheasants I usually just get the breasts and legs off them but I think a grouse will be too small for this... is it best just to pluck, gut and roast? Hate gutting things.

Any suggestions or recipes would be fab!

Its not too dissimilar to pheasant really.

I don't like the legs, very fiddly and not much taste, so I would cut them off (make stock ? ) and remove the wishbone and trim it etc so you are left with the breast (on the bone) outside its little rib cage. I would rub it with butter (lots) and wrap in bacon (unsmoked unless you like it smokey but grouse is gamey in taste anyway). Chuck some herbs etc inside and roast/pan fry/grill. They don't take much cooking but do dry out quickly.

I had it with a Blackberry jus once in a restaurant but when I tried to make that myself it just tasted like I had chucked Ribena over the to of it
Cant you get your friend to gut it for you ?

Thanks, that's great advice. The blackberry jus sounds amazing but that's probably a culinary step too far for me, too! I'd feel guilty asking my friend to gut it, we work together and he's got a lot on - and in fairness I need to learn how to do it myself really.

Nigella has a nice recipe for grouse with mascarpone and thyme. I did that when I was given some... Lush