Roast Venison Gravy

Venison is so lean that a roast leaves you with a dry tin, a little dark residue and no fat at all. So the gravy is made with butter, and the flavour comes from a proper reduction rather than pan drippings. Juniper and redcurrant are traditional partners because venison is strong and a little sweetness and resin suit it.

Ingredients

Makes about 400ml, served sparingly

• 25g butter venison gives up almost no fat of its own
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 6 juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tbsp (15g) plain flour
• 250ml (9fl oz) red wine something robust
• 500ml (18fl oz) strong beef or game stock
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar
• salt

Kit

• Roasting tin
• Heavy saucepan
• Fine sieve
• Pestle and mortar

Method

1. Rest the venison for fifteen to twenty minutes, no longer, and keep it somewhere warm. Lean game goes from perfect to grey and dry very quickly, so err on the short side and serve it properly pink.

2. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and cook the shallots gently for five minutes with the crushed juniper and peppercorns. Crush the juniper just before using it, since the resinous oils fade fast once they are broken open.

3. Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Keep the quantity small. Venison gravy should be a glossy sauce rather than a thick one, and too much flour flattens the game flavour.

4. Pour in the wine and turn the heat up. Boil it down by two thirds, which takes about eight minutes, until it looks dark and slightly syrupy around the edge of the pan.

5. Meanwhile set the venison roasting tin over a low heat with a splash of the stock and scrape up whatever residue is there. There will not be much, but what there is matters, so tip it all into the saucepan.

6. Add the rest of the stock and simmer gently for twelve to fifteen minutes, until it has reduced by about a third and coats a spoon lightly.

7. Stir in the redcurrant jelly until it melts, then the sherry vinegar. Taste and balance. Venison sauce wants to land sweet, sour and savoury all at once, and the vinegar is what stops the jelly making it jammy.

8. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the shallots, then add any juices from the resting meat and season with salt. Serve it hot in a small jug, since a little goes a long way with venison.

Tips worth knowing

• Bard a venison haunch with streaky bacon before roasting. It keeps the meat from drying and leaves you actual fat and fond in the tin, which improves the gravy no end.
• Do not use more than about eight juniper berries for this quantity. Past that it starts to taste like gin and takes over.
• Chocolate is not a joke here. Half a square of dark chocolate melted into the finished gravy deepens the colour and rounds the edges.
• If the venison tastes very strong or the meat was well hung, add a little more redcurrant and a little more vinegar to balance it.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps three days in the fridge and freezes for three months. Reheat gently and check the balance again, as the sharpness fades in storage and it usually wants another few drops of vinegar.

Questions people ask