Venison Steak with Real Chips and Béarnaise Sauce
A beautiful Pavé of Venison (steak) cut from the haunch challenges the best beef fillet steak in both flavour and texture. It is best cooked RARE or MEDIUM RARE – overcooked Venison is a crime against nature! For speed, you can buy ready-made béarnaise sauce.
Ingredients
450g Kerr’s Pink or Maris Piper potatoes
sunflower oil for deep frying
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
6 black peppercorns
1 fresh bay leaf
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh tarragon, plus1 tsp. chopped
1 sprig of fresh chervil, plus 1 tsp. chopped
2 egg yolks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
two 150g Pavé (steaks) of Venison
salt and freshly ground black pepper
First make the chips. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C. Whilst the oil is heating, cut the potatoes into long thick wedges. Add the chips to the hot oil and deep fry them for 12-15 minutes until the chips are a lovely golden colour. Lift the basket out of the oil and shake off any excess. Tip the chips into a dish lined with several sheets of kitchen paper and pat them dry. Keep warm in the oven with the door slightly ajar.
Next make the béarnaise sauce. Put the vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaf, shallot, tarragon and chervil sprigs into a small saucepan and reduce over a medium heat to approximately 1 tbsp.. Remove from the heat to stop further evaporation.
In a small heatproof bowl, beat the egg yolks with a pinch of salt and tsp. of the butter until slightly thickened. Strain in the vinegar reduction. Set the bowl snugly over a saucepan of simmering water and gradually whisk in the remaining butter piece by piece. The sauce will begin to thicken. Don't let the water touch the base of the bowl, or the bowl get too hot. When all the butter is added, stir in the chopped tarragon, chervil. Keep warm over a pan of warm water until ready to serve.
Heat a ridged griddle pan until smoking hot. Rub the Venison with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the Venison on the hot griddle to sear for 2-3 minutes then turn the heat down to medium and cook without moving for another 2-3 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further 3 minutes. This is for RARE Venison – cook for 2-3 minutes longer for MEDIUM RARE. Lift onto a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes to allow the Venison to relax. This will redistribute the juices through the Venison, giving it an even colour and keeping it juicy. Stir any collected juices into the sauce.
Serve the Pavé of Venison with the chips, béarnaise sauce and a mixed salad.