Rack of Venison with Smashed Potatoes & Garlic Spinach | Recipeish | Gustus Vitae
Yield: Serves 4.
Time Estimate: 3 Hours, including 2 hours unattended.
Storage Notes: Best if enjoyed immediately, can be kept covered & refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Difficulty: Easy.
It's not everyday you have a rack of venison, so when the opportunity presents itself: do it proper. For this recipe, we leverage the tech of sous vide to ensure perfect, juicy doneness, searing off in a ripping hot cast iron pan for a crispy blackened crust that leads into the tender, buttery venison. Served up with crispy smashed potatoes and tempered with just-wilted garlicky spinach, this is a meal for the books.
Ingredients
- 1 Rack of venison, Frenched
- 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs California Sea Salt
- 4 Cups baby spinach
- 2 1/2 Tbs Green Goddess Seasoning
- 4 Tbs French Onion Seasoning
- 6 Tbs New Zealand Lamb & Game BBQ Rub & Seasoning
- 6 Cloves garlic
- 4 Tbs duck fat
- 4 Tbs pork fat
- 2 Lbs baby potatoes
- 2 1/2 Tbs Ultra Tex 3, or Wondra
- 1 1/2 Tbs creme fraiche
- 20 Cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/3rd Stick unsalted butter
- Bonus points: basil oil for finishing
- Preheat a sous vide bath to 130F, and bring a pot of water to a roiling boil.
- Trim venison rack of any silverskin, and French ribs, if not done already.
- Rub generously all over with New Zealand Lamb & Game Rub.
- Vacuum seal rack with a stick of unsalted butter, and drop in the bath for 2 hours.
- Boil baby potatoes for about 40 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork, then strain and reserve.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a small foil lined baking tray, toss together cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and California Sea Salt, and roast for 20 minutes, until tomatoes are well browned but not burned. Reserve.
- In a large bowl, add baby potatoes (with skin on), pork fat, and French Onion Seasoning. Roughly smash together with a potato masher, incorporating the French Onion Seasoning but leaving large chunks of potato unbroken.
- Using a ring mold, form 4 compact cylinders of potatoes, and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Rinse and pat dry spinach, and finely mince garlic.
- Remove rack from bath, pouring liquor into a small sauce-pot on low heat.
- Whisk in creme fraiche and Ultra Tex, and bring to boil, before reducing to the lowest heat setting. The sauce should be fairly thick and coat the back of a spoon - adjust with more California Sea Salt as desired.
- Bring a large cast iron pan and a wok up to high heat.
- Pat dry venison, and add duck fat to each pan.
- Begin browning garlic in the wok with Green Goddess Seasoning, and sear one side of the venison for about 2 minutes.
- Add spinach to wok, tossing to incorporate fat and garlic, and cover with a large plate to steam.
- Flip rack, and add remaining 1/3 stick of butter, basting and cooking for another 2-3 minutes, and tossing spinach until just wilted but not a mush.
- Remove rack, tent with foil, and rest for 5 minutes.
- While the rack is resting, plate potatoes and spinach, topping with roasted cherry tomatoes.
- Give the sauce a final whisk, then spoon onto your plate.
- Slice venison and plate, drizzling with basil oil if you have some on hand.
- Admire your handiwork, serve, and devour.