Because the kitchen is the heart of the home – Roe Deer served with braised cabbage

We recently added this fantastic dish to the menu, and we’ve never been asked so often to disclose the recipe. Because it’s Christmas (nearly), we thought we would offer an insight into the mind of our brilliant chef, Marcus, who frequently sources new and interesting ingredients ensuring our menu is consistently fresh and exciting.

As we all know, a meal without wine is just breakfast, so we suggest grabbing a full-bodied, robust glass of red and attempt this very simple, flavoursome and hearty dish. If you’ve finished the bottle before serving, we suggest a bottle of the fantastic 2013 ‘The Caley’, Yalumba, South Australia. The perfect savoury partnership.

We source our Roe Deer from our great friend and Member down in deepest Devon, Heron Valley. If you would like us to source and deliver the deer to your door, please let us know. Simple, great ingredients make great food, so if you need assistance, please let us know.

Godspeed…

Roasted Roe Deer Haunch, Braised Cabbage, Spätzle & Bilberry Jus

Ingredients

4 200g portions roe deer haunch
1 tablespoon of chopped thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped juniper berries
150ml sunflower oil
1 small savoy cabbage heart
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
300ml chicken stock
200g spätzle
80g butter
200ml red wine jus (Recipe page XX)
100g bilberries (or cultivated blueberries as a substitute)
Sea salt & freshly milled pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 180c (Gas mark 4).

Place the chopped thyme, half the chopped juniper berries and 50mls of sunflower oil into a large mixing bowl. Add the portions of Roe deer and coat them well with the marinade. Place them into the fridge until required.

Let the cabbage cook for 25 minutes or so before proceeding with the rest of the dish.

Pre-heat a heavy based frying pan over a high heat.  Season the deer portions well with sea salt and pepper. Add 50mls of sunflower oil to the pan and sear the venison haunch until well caramelised on all sides. Reduce the heat and allow the meat to cook more gently for a further three minutes or so, turning regularly. Remove the deer from the pan to rest.

Place the red wine jus into a small saucepan and bring it to the boil. Add the bilberries and turn off the heat source. In a small frying pan over a medium to high heat, melt the remaining butter with the remaining sunflower oil.

As it starts to bubble, add the spätzle. Move the spätzle around in the pan constantly so its crisps evenly. It will swell quickly to about three times its original size and turn a crispy golden colour. Season the spätzle with sea salt and drain it off on some absorbent kitchen paper. Remove the cabbage from the oven and drain it well in a colander.

Slice the deer portions each into about 4 pieces against the grain of the meat and serve them on 4 warm plates. Add a wedge of braised cabbage to each plate and spoon the bilberry jus over the meat.

Finally, scatter the spätzle over the top and serve immediately.