(Optional to serve with an individual venison shepherd’s pie)
Ingredients – to serve four
Venison:
Cabbage Puree:
Salsify:
Mashed Potato:
Method:
- To cook venison loin – season the venison pieces with the rapeseed oil until coloured on all sides using a heavy bottomed frying pan on a high heat. Add butter to the pan with the rosemary, thyme and garlic. When the butter has melted, baste the loins continually for six minutes before removing from the pan and then resting for five minutes.
- For the green cabbage purée – bring a large pan of boiling water to the boil and add the cabbage, cooking it for one minute. Then drain and mix it with the double cream and blitz to a purée with a handheld blender. Season with salt and pepper.
- For the salsify – peel the salsify and cut into 7 cm batons. Then place it into water with a splash of lemon juice. This will stop it from going brown. Cook the salsify in the chicken stock and keep in the stock until needed. When the venison is cooked and has been removed from the pan, tip the remaining butter out and wipe the pan with some kitchen paper.
- Strain the salsify and pat it dry.
- Add some oil and sauté the tubes of salsify until golden brown.
- For the potato – cook the potatoes until soft, then strain and return to the pan. Place over the heat for a few moments allowing steam to evaporate, then mash using a potato ricer or masher, add the milk, butter and eggs and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.
- You can serve this with an individual Shepherd’s Pie (Below) or on its own but you may need to make an additional gravy or sauce for the venison.
- Making this pie gives you a gravy for the dish at the same time!
Ingredients for the pie:
Method:
- Place a frying pan over a high heat and simmer the meat in batches in a little vegetable oil until well coloured.
- Remove the meat from the pan and add the onions, celery, carrot and garlic.
- Reduce the heat and cook the vegetables until well coloured.
- Add tomato purée and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, return meat to the pan, add the stock and herbs and slowly cook until tender for around three hours.
- When cooked, leave the meat to cool in the liquid. This will keep the meat from going dry.
- When it is sufficiently cool, strain the liquid through a fine sieve, taking care not to break up the meat too much, place the liquid in a pan on the stove to reduce by half.
- Melt a little butter in a pan and cook the diced carrots, turnip and onions until soft. Dice the meat and then add it to the pan with the soft vegetables and add the reduced sauce.
- Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and cook the mixture until it is thick and unctuous.
- Pour the venison into small pie dishes depending on how many guests you’re serving & top it with the mashed potato.
- Bake in the oven until crisp and golden on top.
For a gravy for the venison loin:
Reserve some of the cooking liquor from the pie mix, reduce it to a thick sauce, then stir through a knob of butter and infuse with a small bay leaf. A small splash of green chartreuse will add a real aromatic depth of flavour to this.
To assemble the dish:
Warm the puree and put onto four plates, the golden salsify can go on the top of this. Put the pie on the side of the plate, leaving enough room for the venison loin. Drizzle with the gravy before serving.
