Recipes 05

Oven Roast Wild Boar Steaks with Potatoes and Garlic

Serves 6

• 6 wild boar steaks
• 1 large sprig of rosemary, in two
• 85ml/3 fl oz olive oil plus a little for frying
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 900g/2lb potatoes, peeled and cut roughly into 2.5cm/1in chunks
• 150ml/5 fl oz dry white wine
• 1-teaspoon thyme leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas mark 4. Brown the steaks in a little olive oil over a high heat. Lay them overlapping in a roomy ovenproof dish and fill the gaps around them with potatoes.

Sprinkle over the thyme leaves, tuck in the sprigs of rosemary between the steaks and smear the garlic around the meat and potatoes.

Season generously with salt and pepper and drizzle the white wine over.

Now trickle over 85ml/3 fl oz olive oil and cover the dish with foil.

Bake for one to one half hours until the meat and the potatoes are tender.

Raise the heat to 230c/450f/Gas mark 8, uncover the dish and return to the oven for a final 10-15 minutes to brown. Serve immediately.

Spiced Honey Roast Shoulder of Wild Boar

Serves 8

• 4-5 lbs/2 kg boned and rolled shoulder
• Salt and pepper
• 2 dessertspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salted water or stock to cover
• 3oz good dripping
• Selection of raisins, cloves, juniper berries, cumin,
• 5-tablespoon honey
• Celery seed, lovage, pennyroyal and coriander

Put the meat in a pan cover with the water or stock, and bring to the boil. Simmer for one hour, and then lift out the joint and place in a roasting tin.

Spread the dripping over the joint, and then the honey. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Make your choice of herbs and spices and strew them over the honeyed joint.
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Roast in a moderate to slow oven 180c/350f/Gas 4 for one half to two hours basting frequently with the spiced honey.

If necessary moisten the joint with a little of the initial stock.