Tea-infused venison with roast potatoes, pickled red cabbage and rich port sauce

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. For the tea-infused venison, place the lapsang souchong tea leaves into a pestle and mortar and pound to a dust. Add the orange zest and olive oil and stir. Rub this mix into the venison fillet, wrap in cling film and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours.

   Technique: Zesting citrus fruit

3. For the pickled cabbage, heat some oil in an ovenproof dish with a tight-fitting lid, add the finely chopped red cabbage and redcurrant jelly and fry until the sugars from the jelly start to catch on the bottom of the pan. Pour in the red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan, stir well and cover the pan with a lid. Place in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

   Technique: De-glazing pan gravy

4. For the port sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the chopped banana shallots, carrots and smoked bacon and fry over a gentle heat until golden-brown. Add the redcurrant jelly, then deglaze the pan with the ruby port. Add the chopped thyme and reduce down until most of the liquid has evaporated. Skim any residue from the sauce throughout the reducing process.

   Technique: De-glazing pan gravy

5. Next add the red wine and reduce to the same point again. Add the veal jus or beef stock and reduce by half, skimming any froth from the surface throughout cooking. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and return to a pan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add a few drops of fresh lemon juice. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the sauce is not thick, enough, mix the plain flour with some olive oil into a thin paste, then stir this into the sauce with a whisk and boil again to thicken. Keep warm until required.

6. For the roast potatoes, turn up the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the potatoes into a pan of boiling salted water and boil for ten minutes or until just tender. Drain and roughen the edges of the potatoes by shaking in a dry pan. Heat a roasting tin in the oven for five minutes and add the goose fat. Place the tray on the hob over a high heat until the fat smokes. Add the potatoes and carefully spoon the hot fat over the potatoes. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden-brown and crisp.

7. To cook the meat, remove the cling film and wipe as much of the tea leaves off the meat as possible. Heat an ovenproof pan on a high heat. Add the venison to the hot pan and sear the meat all over. Transfer the pan to the hot oven and cook for 3-5 minutes or until springy to touch. You may wish to cook the venison for longer if you prefer your meat more well-done. Remove from the oven and rest for ten minutes before slicing.

8. To serve, place the sliced venison on a bed of red cabbage with roast potatoes and rich port sauce.

1-2 hours preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4