Wild venison backstrap with chips and red wine jus

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Venison:
● 500g wild venison backstrap
● 50g butter
● 2 sprigs rosemary
● 2 sprigs thyme
● Olive oil, for cooking
● Chives, finely chopped (to garnish)

Red Wine Jus:
● 1 onion, diced
● 10 garlic cloves
● 1 bottle red wine
● 1L beef stock
● 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with cold water (slurry)
● 2 sprigs rosemary
● 2 sprigs thyme
● 50g butter
● Salt & pepper, to taste

Chips:
● 600g large potatoes (whole, skin on)
● 50g animal fat (beef dripping) or olive oil
● Sea salt flakes

HOW TO COOK IT

Prepare the chips
● Preheat oven to 200°C.
● Boil whole potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes, then drain and allow to cool.
● Cut into chunky chips.
● Place animal fat or oil in a baking dish and heat in the oven for 5 minutes.
● Add the potatoes, toss well, and roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until golden and crispy.
● Season with sea salt flakes.

Make the red wine jus while the potatoes cool and cook
● Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
● Add onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes until softened.
● Add red wine and herbs, then cook on high heat for 15 minutes until reduced by more than half.
● Add beef stock and boil for another 15 minutes.
● Stir in cornflour slurry and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often, until slightly thickened.
● Remove from heat, whisk in butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the venison backstrap
● Pat venison dry and season generously with salt. Drizzle with olive oil.
● Heat a heavy pan on high heat, add olive oil, and sear the backstrap for 4 minutes on each side.
● Add butter, rosemary, and thyme, then baste the meat with the melted butter for extra flavour.
● Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 2-4 minutes or until internal temperature reaches around
45°C for rare.
● Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve
● Place chips on the plate, add sliced venison, and spoon over the red wine jus.
● Garnish with finely chopped chives, cracked black pepper, and extra salt if desired.