Game Season Menu for this Autumnal Weather!

It's that time of year again folks to try a delicious game recipe for the best time of year to smoke interesting blends of cigars. This venison should get your mouth watering... Enjoy! Ingredients For the game gravy: •600g/1lb 5oz venison rib bones (ask your game dealer or butcher) •25g/1oz unsalted butter •200g/7oz venison trimmings, roughly chopped •4 shallots, finely sliced •8 button mushrooms, sliced •1 clove garlic, crushed •1 bay leaf •sprig of thyme •6 white peppercorns, crushed •30ml/1oz red wine vinegar •120ml/4fl oz port •120ml/4fl oz red wine •700ml/1¼ pints brown chicken or game stock •1 tsp redcurrant jelly •1 tsp arrowroot •salt and freshly ground black pepper For the rosti: •400g/14oz Golden Wonder potatoes, peeled and grated •10 tbsp goose fat (available tinned in some supermarkets) For the vegetables: •2 tbsp goose fat •100g/3½oz carrot, finely chopped •100g/3½oz parsnip, finely chopped •100g/3½oz celeriac, finely chopped •100g/3½oz beetroot, finely chopped •sprig of thyme •1 clove garlic, lightly crushed For the venison: •20g/1oz butter •4 pieces of roe deer saddle with rib bone still attached, each 120g/4½oz •60ml/2fl oz red wine •30ml/1fl oz red wine vinegar •40ml/1½fl oz fruit vinegar •200ml/7fl oz light brown chicken stock •250g/9oz Savoy cabbage, finely shredded, blanched for 2 minutes, refreshed and drained •4 tbsp double cream •salt and freshly ground black pepper Preparation method: 1.Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. 2.First make the game gravy. Roast the venison bones for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a medium-sized saucepan, add the butter and venison trimmings and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes until well browned. Add the shallots, mushrooms, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and crushed peppercorns. Gently fry for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. 3.Pour in the red wine vinegar, followed by the port and red wine. Boil until a thick, syrupy glaze is achieved. Add the stock, redcurrant jelly and roasted bones and simmer for 45 minutes. 4.Pass through a fine sieve into a small, clean pan and boil again to reduce by half. Thicken with arrowroot, then check the seasoning and set aside. Reheat for serving. (This makes more gravy than you need for this dish; keep the rest in the fridge or freeze it.) 5.Next make the rosti. Place the grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the liquid. Place in a bowl, add 2 tbsp of the goose fat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. 6.Heat four blini pans. Add 2 tbsp of goose fat to each and then divide the potato mix between them, pressing it down gently. Cook until crisp and golden on the base, then carefully turn over and continue cooking until the other side is golden and the potatoes are tender. Place in a low oven to keep warm. 7.For the vegetables, heat 2 tbsp of goose fat in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and sauté the chopped vegetables with the thyme and garlic for 15-20 minutes or until coloured and cooked through. Place in the oven to keep warm. 8.For the venison, heat the butter in the frying pan, then sear the venison until well coloured and cooked medium rare. Remove the meat from the pan and place it somewhere warm to relax. 9.Pour out the fat from the pan, return it to a high heat and deglaze with the wine and vinegars. Boil fast to reduce, then add the stock and reduce again by one-quarter to really intensify the flavours. Strain and keep warm. Technique: De-glazing pan gravy. 10.Reheat the cabbage, adding the cream, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 11.To serve, place a pile of cabbage in the centre of each plate. Place the rosti on top and place the sautéed vegetables around the outside. Place the venison on the rosti, and pour over the reduced jus. Drizzle the game gravy around the outside of the plates.