Pink Seared Venison Fillet with Potato Gratin

Ingredients

• 800 g mostly firm potatoes
• 3 tbsp butter
• 150 ml whipping cream
• 150 ml Milk (3.5% fat)
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Pepper
• nutmeg
• 30 g freshly grated Parmesan
• 600 g venison fillet
• 150 ml game stock
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• 1 pinch piment powder
• 400 g Green Beans
• 4 tbsp pine nuts

Instructions

1. 1.

   For the potato gratin, peel, wash and slice the potatoes. Butter a baking dish with 1 tsp butter and layer the potatoes.

2. 2.

   Whisk together cream, milk and egg, seasoning with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Pour over the potatoes and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (fan 160 °C; gas: level 2–3) for 40 minutes.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, wash and pat dry the venison fillet. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Sear the fillet on all sides. Season with salt and pepper and finish cooking in the oven on a rack (with a fat pan underneath) alongside the gratin for about 10 minutes.

4. 4.

   Deglaze the pan juices with the game stock, letting it reduce slightly. Mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp cold water and stir into the sauce to thicken. Season with salt, pepper and piment. While this cooks, toast pine nuts in a hot dry pan over medium heat for 3 minutes.

5. 5.

   Wash, trim and blanch the green beans in boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then shock them in ice water. Heat remaining butter in a pan and toss the beans in the hot butter. Season with salt and pepper.

6. 6.

   Cut the potato gratin into four pieces or use a metal ring to cut four rounds. Carefully lift from the dish. Slice the venison fillet and arrange on top of the gratin on plates, add the green beans, and scatter pine nuts around. Serve immediately with sauce on the side if desired.