Pigeonneaux en Casserole à la Paysanne

Pigeonneaux en Casserole à la Paysanne (country-style squabs in a casserole) teaches the discipline of dry casserole roasting. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is this: no liquid enters while the birds cook. Butter, a close-fitting lid, and the squabs' own juices keep the flesh succulent while the casserole builds a concentrated fond underneath.

The original formula assumed an earthenware saucepan, several birds moving through service, and a saucier with good gravy always ready. For four at home, a heavy lidded casserole replaces the old earthenware vessel, and a small measure of rich poultry gravy replaces the stockpot that never left the fire. The source proportions remain exact: one and one-half ounces of salted pork and two ounces of potatoes for every pigeon. Maintaining a sauce station was brigade scaffolding and can go; Blanchings (No. 273), sautéing the potatoes, and adding both only when the birds are two-thirds cooked are the dish itself and must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.

When it is right, the squabs arrive burnished and compact, surrounded by butter-gold potato slices and little dice of pork, with just enough gravy to gather the casserole juices. Watch the timing of the garnish. Add it too soon and the potatoes dry before the birds are ready; add it too late and it never takes on the flavor of the pot.