Pan-seared venison loin

This is a delicious venison recipe using our prime venison loin and perfect for a special lunch or dinner. Put together by Ian Hamilton, head chef at The Three Cups Inn, we have adapted it from the Shooting UK website.

Serves 4

Method:

1.    Cut the potatoes using an oval-shaped cookie cutter. Turn them on their side and slice the top and bottom, leaving them flat. Remove any skin. Heat the butter in a heavy-based frying pan until foaming, add potatoes and brown on one side. Turn them over and add the chicken stock and herbs and cook until soft all the way through.

2.    For the braised red cabbage, melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Soften in the butter for a few minutes, stir in the spices and cook for one minute. Tip in the cabbage and sauté until shiny and well coated.

3.    Add the apple, sugar, orange juice and vinegar, reduce the heat to low, stir well, cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick. Stir in the cranberry sauce and cook for another 25 minutes. Season well and stir through a knob of butter before serving.

4.    To make the squash purée, heat the oil and butter in a large pan and gently fry the onion for a few minutes until softened. Add the squash and roast for 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for a further 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Pour in the cream and season to taste. In a food processor, blend the squash until smooth and pass through a sieve into a clean pan.

5.    To serve, season the venison with salt and pepper, heat a heavy-based frying pan then add some oil and butter. When the butter is foaming, add the venison and cook on a medium to high heat for 3 to 4 minutes a side until browned. Once cooked, put to one side and allow to rest.

6.    Gently heat the purée and red cabbage while the meat is resting. Pour a little of the wine into the pan used for the venison and, over a low heat, scrape up any sticky residue left by the meat with a wooden spoon, stirring to incorporate. Add the rest of the wine and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the redcurrant jelly until it melts, then stir in the mustard. Pour the sauce into a serving boat.

7.    Remove the fondant potato from the cooking liquor and, once the meat has finished resting, serve with the potato, squash purée, red cabbage and sauce.