FILLET OF DEER WITH SEA BEET

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves 4

There seems to be a bit of a trend towards eating more deer, and not just in Dorset: I saw venison fillets in Aldi the other week. Venison is the name for deer meat but it’s worth asking a butcher which species they’ve got – muntjac or roe, for instance. (I’ve used sika in this recipe.)

It’s a naturally lean source of protein and comparable to buying beef. A lot of deer tends to get lazily diced up or minced, but with some clever knife skills you can create some interesting, tender cuts.

You can marinate the fillets in the red wine for the sauce for 24 hours or so, then use the marinade in the sauce. I’ve served this with some bashed neeps (mashed swede), which always goes well with game.

INGREDIENTS

– 500g (approx) of deer fillet from the loin or deer underfillets

– a little rapeseed or corn oil for frying

For the sauce

– a good knob of butter – 4 small shallots, halved and finely chopped

– 1 tsp flour

– 100ml red wine

– 350-400ml beef or game stock

To serve

– a good knob of butter

– a couple of handfuls of sea spinach, or use small chard or kale leaves

METHOD

First make the sauce: melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan and gently cook the shallots for 2-3 minutes on a low heat without colouring. Stir in the flour then slowly add the red wine and stock.

Bring the sauce to the boil then simmer very gently for about 20-25 minutes, giving the occasional stir, until the sauce has reduced by about half and thickened. Cover and put to one side.

Season the deer fillets with sea salt and black pepper, heat a frying pan with a little oil and fry the fillets on a high heat to begin to give them a nice colour, then turn down the heat and continue cooking for a few minutes on each side, depending on the thickness, keeping them nice and rare. Transfer to a warm plate, cover and leave to rest, pouring any juices into the sauce.

To serve, melt the butter in a pan and quickly wilt the sea spinach for 20 seconds or so. Slice the deer and arrange on warmed serving plates, spoon the sauce over and scatter over the sea spinach.