Preparation / Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wrap each quail in a pancetta slice with a leaf of sage. Brown the birds and the carrot, celery and onion in a wide, shallow pan in the oil. Pour on the wine and the stock, little by little, alternately, and cook for two minutes more. Add three quarters of the cherries and transfer to the oven for 5 minutes. The cherries will disintegrate completely during cooking.
Remove the quail from the pan and set aside to keep warm. Place the pan on the stove top over high heat to reduce the cooking juices a little. Put the resulting sauce through a strainer, firmly mashing any remaining cherry pulp. Reduce the sauce further, and bind with one teaspoon butter, if necessary.
Meanwhile, prepare the pureed potatoes: Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Peel and mash while still warm. Whisk the parsley in with the milk. In a saucepan over moderate heat, combine the potatoes and milk, stirring vigorously. Add the Parmesan, continuing to stir until the mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the remaining cherries in a small skillet with 1 teaspoon butter, and use for garnish.
Serve the quail halved and partially boned with the sauce poured over, garnished with cherries and accompanied by parslied potato puree.
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