Baked guinea fowl with garlic beans and smoked sausage

Method

1. Drain the beans, put them into a saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for between 30 minutes and 1 hour (this will depend on the age of your beans) until just tender, adding 1 tsp of salt 5 minutes before the end of cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole. Season the guinea fowl, add them to the casserole and brown them on all sides. Turn the birds breast-side up, then add the garlic cloves, butter, bacon lardons and rosemary to the casserole. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Add the beans, smoked sausage, chicken stock, ½ tsp salt and some black pepper to the casserole, then stir once or twice to coat everything in the cooking juices. Continue to cook, covered, for a further 30 minutes or until the guinea fowl are tender and cooked through.
4. To serve, lift the guinea fowl onto a chopping board, cut off the legs and cut each leg in half at the joint. Cut the breast meat away from the carcass in 2 whole pieces and slice diagonally. Divide the bean, garlic, bacon and sausage mixture among 8 warmed, deep plates and place one piece of leg and some of the sliced breast meat on top of the mixture to serve.