Venison Burgers and Duck with Red Wine & Redcurrant Sauce
Our food photographer, Steve Lee, regularly works with game and has produced some stunning books on the subject.
Not only do these recipes look great, but they also taste amazing too.
So why not try a burger with a difference this week and use venison instead?
Venison Burgers
Makes 4 • Time 30 mins
Calories 512 • Fibre 4.1g • Salt 2.2g • Sugar 4.1g
Fat 20.3g of which 3.8g is saturated
Sage and onion stuffing mix 40g (1½oz)
Lean minced venison 300g (11oz)
Lean minced pork 100g (3½oz)
Fresh rosemary leaves 1 tbsp, finely chopped, or dried rosemary 1 tsp
Egg 1 large, yolk only
Olive oil 2 tsp
Carrot 50g (2oz), peeled and grated
Leek 25g (1oz), thinly sliced
Coleslaw 250g (9oz)
Burger buns 4, toasted
Baby kale leaves 40g (1½oz)
1 Soak stuffing mix in 4 tablespoons boiling water for 5 minutes.
2 Put venison, pork, stuffing, rosemary and seasoning in a bowl. Add egg yolk and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide into four equal portions and form into burger shapes about 10cm (4in) in diameter.
3 Heat a large frying pan until hot and brush with oil. Add burgers and cook over a medium heat for 7–8 minutes on each side until cooked through.
4 Mix carrot and leek into coleslaw. Serve burgers in buns with baby kale and coleslaw.
TIP Use lean minced beef as an alternative to venison.
This recipe is one of the many delicious, triple-tested, recipes in the Dairy Diary 2020.
And for a meal that’s a little bit special, give this duck recipe a go. It only takes half an hour but tastes as though you have spent much longer preparing it.
Duck with Red Wine & Redcurrant Sauce
Serves 2 Time 30 minutes Per portion: 281 Kcal, 12g fat (5.2g saturated)
Boneless duck breasts 2 small (around 250g/9oz total weight)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red onion 1 small, peeled and finely chopped
Garlic 1 clove, peeled and sliced (optional)
Thyme a few sprigs
Balsamic or red wine vinegar 2 tbsp
Red wine 2 tbsp
Redcurrant jelly 2 tbsp
Butter small piece
New potatoes and broccoli or asparagus to serve (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°fan/Gas 6. Put a small roasting tin in the oven to heat up. Pat the duck dry on kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, score the skin in diagonal lines and season with salt and pepper. Lay the duck, skin side down, in a cold frying pan. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes or until the skin is golden. Pour off the fat, turn the meat over and cook for 1 minute then transfer it to the roasting tin, skin side up. Cook in the oven for 8–10 minutes. Take out of the oven, wrap the breasts in foil and leave to rest for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, tip most of the fat out of the pan. Add the onion, garlic, if using, and thyme, and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
Pour in the vinegar and wine and stir well, then cook over a high heat until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the redcurrant jelly, reduce the heat, and stir until melted and reduced, then stir in the butter to make a shiny sauce.
Slice the duck breasts then serve them with the sauce spooned over, accompanied with new potatoes and purple sprouting or tenderstem broccoli or asparagus, if liked.
COOK’S TIPS Use apple juice instead of red wine if you prefer. Alternatively, make an orange sauce with orange juice and marmalade instead of red wine and redcurrant jelly. Larger duck breasts will take 5–10 minutes longer in the oven. Strain and reserve the duck fat then store in a lidded container in the fridge; add spoonfuls of the fat to a hot roasting tin for crisp roast potatoes.
For a whole host of quick and tasty recipes take a look at our fabulous Quick After-Work Cookbook.
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Head of Dairy Diary; I’m passionate about producing high quality products that our customers will cherish. I’m also a mum of three and I enjoy cooking, walking, gardening and art with my family, as well as lino printing (if I find time!)
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