Roast Haunch of Venison with Spiced Seville Oranges
Geoffrey Smeddle – previously head chef of Glasgow’s award winning ‘étain’ restaurant, and winner of the 2005 Best City Chef at the Scottish Chef Awards – took over his most recent venture, The Peat Inn, in June 2006. The renowned ‘restaurant with rooms’ is situated just six miles from St. Andrews, and is run by Geoffrey and his wife, Katherine.
Geoffrey is passionate about fresh local produce, and uses seasonal Scottish food in his restaurant. He has trained under Michelin-starred chefs Herbert Berger and Chris Galvin, and has worked around the world in many highly respected restaurants, including at The Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. For Geoffrey, it isn’t just about the food, but the whole dining experience. The restaurant boasts an extensive and superior wine list, while the 5-star luxury of the restaurant is continued into the eight exceptional suites available, making your stay as comfortable and memorable as possible.
For further information about Geoffrey and The Peat Inn, please visit the website at www.thepeatinn.co.uk, where bookings can be made for both the Restaurant and the Rooms.
In the middle of January these bitter oranges hit our shores from Spain. They are not just for marmalade, as this recipe shows.
Ingredients
700g – 1000g Boned and Rolled Haunch
Olive Oil and Butter, for cooking
Salt and Fresh Milled Pepper
4 Carrots, finely chopped
2 Head of Garlic, halved
1 Onion, roughly chopped
Thyme and Rosemary
For the Seville Oranges
This can be done also with blood oranges, the stored in kilner jars for several months. These are good not only with venison but also duck and poultry.
10 Seville Oranges
600 ml Water
1 kg Sugar
2 Cinnamon Sticks
5 Juniper Berries, crushed
1 tsp Cloves
Method
Stage 1
Place the water and sugar in a pan together and bring slowly to a
simmer to dissolve the sugar, allow to boil for 5 minutes to create a
syrup
Add the spices and remove from the heat to infuse
Meanwhile,
slice the oranges as thinly as possible and place in a pan of cold
water, bringing to the boil. Poach these gently for 3 minutes then drain
off and discard the liquid, keeping the oranges.
Place the oranges
in the syrup and return to the heat. Poach for a further 30 minutes very
gently until the rind is almost and clear, it will go very soft and be
edible.
Store the oranges in this liquid in kilner jars or airtight containers in the fridge until needed.
Stage 2
Pre-heat the oven to 230°C.
Weigh the venison and allow 15 minutes cooking time per 450g (resulting in a joint that is pink and tender in the middle)
Heat a frying pan or roasting tray until hot and add enough oil to give a light film across the bottom of the pan.
Season
the meat thoroughly and seal in the pan so it is a good golden brown
all over. When you have done this, remove from the pan onto a plate.
Add
the garlic, chopped carrots onion and herbs to the roasting pan and
brown, return the meat and place on top of these vegetables.
Cook in the oven for the required time.
To Serve
Allow the meat 15 minutes resting time before carving.
Serve with creamed savoy cabbage and the preserved oranges.
