Pan-fried Ryedale roe deer with Yorkshire Blue beignet, bubble-and-squeak rösti and elderberry juices

Ingredients

(serves four)

4 venison haunch steaks
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
4 sprigs of fresh thyme

For the beignet
100g Yorkshire Blue cheese
5g shallot, finely diced and sweated off
1 pinch sage, finely chopped
Egg and breadcrumbs

For the rösti
1 leaf of Savoy cabbage, shredded, or 3-4 Brussels sprouts
4 peeled medium-sized potatoes, par-boiled for eight minutes, cooled, then grated
1 rasher of smoked bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
Clarified butter

For the sauce
½ bottle of elderberry wine
1dsp redcurrant jelly
½ pint of dark game stock
2 crushed juniper berries

Method

Blend beignet ingredients and form into 3cm balls, then chill for 20 minutes, egg wash and breadcrumb. Set aside.

Prepare the rösti - blanch the cabbage or sprouts and chop roughly. Combine with the grated potato and cooked bacon and pack into a 6cm ring. Shallow-fry on both sides in clarified butter until coloured, then place in an oven for 10-15 minutes.

Reduce all the ingredients for the sauce until they reach a syrupy consistency.

Check that the rösti is cooked, then place in the centre of a warmed plate and remove the ring.

Season the venison steaks and pan-fry in olive oil on one side for two minutes, then flip over and pan-fry for a further minute. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for a couple of minutes. Slice each steak into six or seven pieces and place carefully around the top of the rösti.

Ceck the sauce is the correct consistency, deep-fry the beignets and sprigs of thyme for 30 seconds until the beignet is just golden brown. Drain on a piece of kitchen paper, then place on top of the venison.

Spoon the sauce around the outside and finish with the sprigs of thyme. Serve immediately.