Garry Watson, chef proprietor of Gordon’s Restaurant in Inverkeilor, shares a ‘deer’licious venison recipe.
I was delighted to hear that local talented chef Spud Henderson, chef de partie at one of my favourite Scottish restaurants, Craig Millar @16 West End in St Monans, has won the 2020 national competition for the best game chef in the UK!
Spud (this is his real name) skilfully prepared game dishes against some of the countries finest chefs and won with a truly stunning venison Wellington dish – Scottish venison loin prepared in the classic style of beef Wellington.
This proves that classic cookery prepared perfectly will never die. Our Scottish game is the best in the world and we should celebrate it so much more. The roe deer is my favourite breed – they’re abundant and roaming around locally here in Courier Country.
The eating qualities are really excellent and I consider them the Rolls-Royce of venison. Forget the myth that venison is a dry and strong game-flavoured meat. When cooked correctly venison is a beautiful soft, mild, tender meat that is surprisingly easy to cook.
I love to use the tender fillets from the saddle and when panfried it turns a simple salad into a very special dish. Contrasted with pear and blue cheese then adding texture with walnuts and crisp ham.
For the venison bring 2 roe deer fillets to room temperature then coat in rapeseed oil, season and sear with 20g of butter until dark brown in a heavy based pan on a medium to high heat, turning constantly so the heat spreads through out.
For perfection I use a thermometer and aim for the centre temperature to be 54C then, very importantly, allow the fillet to rest in a warm place on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Place 4 slices of Parma ham on a baking try lined with parchment paper and bake for 8 mins at 190C or until crisp. Allow to cool the break into shards. Toast 50g of chopped walnuts in a hot dry frying pan for 2 minutes then set aside.
Prepare a dressing by mixing 5g caster sugar with 20ml of raspberry vinegar in a bowl until dissolved, add 5g of grain Arran mustard and whisk in 50ml of rapeseed oil to emulsify. Peel and chop 1 pear into a small diced and add to the dressing immediately. Place 100g of mixed salad leaves and soft herbs in a large bowl, add 150g of crumbled Arran Blue Cheese (rind removed), toasted walnuts and the crisp ham finally add the dressing and carefully combine.
Place on serving plate and arrange carved slices of roe deer fillet on top.
Chef’s tip: You can source venison at your local craft butcher or farmers market. I recommend Highland Game in Dundee, founded by entrepreneur Christian Nissen in 1997. The company has successfully created awareness and sales of Scottish venison across the UK.
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