“Many of you who have eaten at Cafe will be familiar with this dish. We sometimes accompany it with red cabbage braised with a touch of autumn spice, but here it’s served with roots and greens. Root vegetables are so flavoursome, and good for you too. Consider adding a kick of spice, or some sweet honey, as they are roasting. If you can’t find roe haunch, use loin; or equally, beef would be a great replacement. But the black pudding really is the star of the show, it’s so very popular with our guests when we serve this dish.”

Prep time 20 minutes, cooking time 30 minutes
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
300g piece of venison haunch, seam-boned from the back leg
4 slices of Stornoway black pudding
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into batons
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into batons
1 beetroot, peeled and cut into batons
1 big handful of kale or cavolo nero, stalks removed and blanched in boiling salted water, then refreshed in cold water
1 large tablespoon of beef or duck fat
A  few sprigs of thyme
1 litre of thick, strong beef stock
1 glass of red wine
1 tablespoon of redcurrant jelly
1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons of cold-pressed rapeseed oil
2 knobs of butter
Good salt and pepper

METHOD
Firstly, to make the sauce, add the shallots to a pot with a little oil and fry until browned. Add the wine and red currant jelly and bring to the boil and cook until jam stage. This will take about 10 minutes. Then add the stock and reduce by two thirds or until the desired consistency is achieved. Pass through a fine sieve and keep warm.

Heat the oven to 200°C.

Begin to prepare the root veg by blanching in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until just cooked. Refresh in cold water then dry on a cloth. Heat a large ovenproof pan on the hob and add half the beef fat and half the remaining oil. Add the roots and thyme. Season and fry until the roots are turning golden, then add a knob of butter and roast in the oven for 10 minutes until cooked and golden. Keep to one side.

Season the venison. Heat an ovenproof pan on the stove with the remaining oil and a knob of butter and brown the meat all over for 2 to 3 minutes, then place in the oven and roast to your liking. I like it medium rare which takes about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it can overcook quickly. Remove from the oven and allow to rest.

Using the same pan as the venison, add the blanched green veg with the remaining beef fat and butter and season with salt and pepper. Stir and heat through thoroughly. Whilst cooking, grill the black pudding.

Before plating, carve the rested venison into slices then divide the green veg between 4 warmed plates and place the carved meat on top. Add a slice of black pudding to each plate and arrange the roots alongside. Finish with a trickle of sauce all over each plate. If you like a stickier sauce, simply reduce by half again. Season the whole plate with a little salt and garnish with the thyme from the root veg.