Roast Saddle of Venison with Watercress Salad and Horseradish Cream
By OcadoLife
Published on 25 July 2021
If you love roast beef but fancy a change then try venison instead – it's rich, juicy and a real crowd pleaser. Here, we've changed up the usual Sunday lunch accompaniments and served the roasted, bacon-wrapped joint with a warm, garlicky salad of beetroot, red cabbage and watercress. Great for the warmer seasons, but delicious all year round. Time and servings
55 minsTotal time
4Servings
55 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 10 slices of unsmoked streaky bacon
- 750 g of venison saddle
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 500 g of beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced or grated
- 0.25 red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 3 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, finely grated
- 200 g of watercress, thick stalks removed
- 1 dash of horseradish cream, to serve
Method
Step 1
Take a big piece of greaseproof paper and lay out the bacon on one side, fold the rest of the paper over the top to cover it. Take a rolling pin and roll the bacon until it’s very thin.Step 2
Lift the top piece of paper and lay each slice so they’re overlapping, to make a wrap for the venison.Step 3
Remove the mesh from the meat and season. Lay the saddle down in the middle of the bacon and pull all the bacon up so the venison is fully wrapped. If you have some, use some cooking string to hold the bacon in place.Step 4
Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7 and place a frying pan over a medium-high heat.Step 5
Place the venison in the frying pan with the herbs and start to cook, turning, until it’s lightly golden all over. This will take 5-6 mins. Then place the venison and herbs into a roasting dish and into the oven for 10 mins.Step 6
After the 10 mins is up, reduce the heat to 170°C/150°C/gas 4.5 and continue to roast for another 12-15 mins (this is for medium rare). Then remove from the oven, cover and allow to rest for 15 mins.Step 7
While the meat is roasting, heat a large frying pan or wok on high and add the olive oil. Add the beetroot, red cabbage and shallots and cook for 1 min. Add the garlic and stir everything together for 1 min. Remove to a salad bowl and allow to cool slightly before tossing in the watercress.Step 8
Cut the meat into thin slices and serve with the warm salad and a dollop of horseradish cream.