Charred leeks, trout roe and venison with fried potatoes
An unusual dish that pairs charred leeks with trout roe and air-dried venison.
Ingredients
For the air-dried venison
For the charred leek cream
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 1 leek, charred on a gas flame
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- salt
For the fried potatoes
- 2–3 Maris Piper potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced and rinsed
- 500ml/18fl oz vegetable oil
- salt
For the charred leeks
Method
To make the air-dried venison, place the salt in a saucepan with 1 litre/1¾ pints water. Bring to the boil and then cool. Place the venison in the cold brine and leave for 24 hours. Remove the venison from the brine, tie the end with string and hang in the fridge for 2–3 days or until it’s dried out.
To make the charred leek cream, place the cream in a bowl and add the charred leek. Leave to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Strain through a fine sieve and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and place in the fridge for 3 hours.
To make the fried potatoes, fill a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan two-thirds full with the oil. Heat to 175C (a cube of bread should turn brown in one minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. Fry the potatoes for 2 minutes, then drain on kitchen paper.
To make the charred leeks, cut the leeks into 7cm/3in pieces and peel away the charred outer layers, reserve and finely chop these for garnishing. Slice each inner piece into 4 or 5 pieces each and divide between 2 plates. Top with some trout roe, the shallots and chives. Spoon some charred leek cream onto each plate and top with the fried potatoes, venison and some chopped charred leek.
