A dinner party showstopper: Rack of venison and venison chorizo with warm winter salad

Jenny Jefferies shares another delicious recipe with us.

The 1942 animated Walt Disney film ‘Bambi’ was based on the novel by Felix Salten written in 1923 and is a beautiful story about the realisation of a fawn becoming a wise old stag which is morally paralleled with that of a young human child growing into adulthood with both knowledge and retribution.

Deer are often seen as mythical creatures in folklore and are also seen to be the royalty of forests. The 1,000-acre deer park around Old Knepp Castle gained a reputation for its fallow deer in the 13th century when King John used to hunt there.

“I embarked on an experiment to see if we could use free-roaming herbivores to generate habitat for wildlife on our depleted, polluted land. We introduced sturdy old breeds of domestic livestock to mimic the actions of the ancient herds that would once have roamed Britain.” - says Charlie Burrell of the Knepp Estate.

It’s not nature versus nurture anymore; it’s all about nurturing our nature. The term ‘rewilding’ is just that, and enables natural processes to shape land and sea, repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes. Through rewilding, wildlife's natural rhythms create wilder, more biodiverse habitats.

For red meat lovers, or those on a low fat, low calorie diet, venison ticks all of the boxes; with twice as much iron as beef and lamb, organic venison is a nutrient-rich addition to a balanced diet.

Rack of venison and venison chorizo with warm winter salad

“This is a simple but indulgent dish, great for a hearty family meal or a real showstopper for a dinner party. Serve the venison with a seasonal salad to suit the time of year (for spring and summer the

winter salad can be replaced by a charred lettuce or a mix of leafy vegetables with a dressing).” - Charlie Burrell of The Knepp Estate, as featured in For The Love Of The Land II by Jenny Jefferies

Preparation time: 30 minutes | Cooking time: 50 minutes | Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the venison chorizo
1kg organic venison mince
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
50g smoked paprika
20g chipotle chilli flakes
20g salt

For the rack of venison
1 x 4-bone rack of organic venison
Salt and pepper

For the warm winter salad
2 large Maris Piper or other roasting potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 turnips, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 parsnips, halved lengthways and cut into ½ inch batons
2 red onions, cut into 8 wedges each
3 large carrots, halved lengthways and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ butternut squash, halved lengthways and sliced into ½ inch semicircles
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium-sized fennel bulb, halved lengthways and sliced into ½ inch slices
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
3 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of sage
2 sprigs of rosemary
Olive oil

Method:

For the venison chorizo

First, preheat your oven to 230°c or Gas Mark 8 as you’ll need it later. Combine the venison mince with the garlic and seasoning in a large bowl and mix thoroughly until everything is a gorgeous deep orange colour. With damp hands, portion the mix into 8 equal pieces and roughly shape into sausages. Transfer the chorizo to a tray and keep in the fridge until needed.

For the rack of venison

Lightly score the fat on the venison rack (without cutting into the meat) to create little diamond shapes, then season with a little salt and pepper.

For the warm winter salad

Put the potatoes into a saucepan and just cover with water, bring to the boil and then drain well. Put the par-boiled potatoes into a deep roasting tray with all the other vegetables except the fennel. Massage 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the vegetables and season with salt and pepper, then put the tray into your preheated oven and set a timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, check that the vegetables are almost cooked, then add the fennel, garlic, thyme, sage and rosemary. Place the tray back in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.

To cook the venison

Heat a large frying pan without any oil and when it is searing hot, add your prepared venison rack fat side down to sear until well browned. Repeat on each side, then place on the second shelf of your hot oven for 10 minutes. Put the same frying pan (leaving the venison fat in) on a medium heat and then place your chorizo sausages gently into the hot pan. Lightly press each sausage until it has two flat sides and cook for five minutes on each side. Put the pan to one side for the dressing. Once you have turned the chorizo sausages for the first time, take your rack of venison out the oven and place somewhere warm to rest.

To serve

Share the roasted vegetables between four plates, heaping them in the middle and removing any herb sprigs. Slice the venison rack between each bone, then place a piece on each plate, gently resting against the vegetables. Cut each chorizo sausage into three pieces and scatter six pieces onto each plate around the vegetables. Finally, put three tablespoons of olive oil in the pan used to cook the venison and chorizo and warm slightly. Drizzle this over the dish as a dressing and serve. Enjoy!

See Jenny’s other recipes here. Jenny Jefferies is the author of the For The Love Of The Land and For The Love Of The Sea series, and Islands In A Common Sea: Stories of Farming, Fishing and Food Around The World. A Love British Food Ambassador, Jenny is married to a farmer and lives in South Cambridgeshire.