The Epicure's Almanac or Diary of Good Living
October 20th : POTTED PHEASANT, PARTRIDGE, GROUSE, OR SNIPE
It is absolutely essential that the birds intended for potting should be quite fresh; let them be carefully boned. Make a force-meat in the proportion of a pound of fillet of veal to a pound and a quarter of fat bacon; let these be chopped and pounded very fine, and then rubbed through a wire sieve, to take away the sinews, &c.
Place the force-meat again in the mortar, and beat up spice, Cayenne, and salt, to your taste; be careful not to use too much of the latter, if your bacon be well cured.
Have some half dozen fresh green truffleswashed, peeled, and warmed in butter; mix all the ingredients. Place a layer of force-meat at the bottom of each of your pots, then put in the birds, well stuffed with the same; line the sides of the pots with slices of bacon, and cover with force-eat. Bake in a slow oven for an hour and a quarter. When perfectly cold, pour mutton suet and lard, melted, in equal quantities over the top of each pot, and tie them down with bladders.
Some cooks add a little calf's liver to the force-meat, to produce an additional flavour; but I do not approve of the introduction.