Scottish Feast - Wild Venison & Whisky Sauce

Being Scottish, I naturally wanted to showcase some of our fabulous dishes alongside regional produce through my Cookaway menus. Wild deer is synonymous with the Scottish Highlands as they’ve been a natural food source here for centuries. I’ve chosen venison loin as it’s a lean cut with next to no fat helping it to almost dissolve in the mouth. The venison is cooked with skirlie, usually served as a side dish, but I've used it to make a delicious topping for the wild venison loin. Skirlie is a traditional Scottish stuffing, made from oats, onions and lard. The "skirl" in skirlie indicates the noise made from frying the oats.

You’ll enjoy this premium cut of venison with a Scottish inspired whisky peppercorn sauce and a creamy celeriac gratin. This sauce is made using similar techniques to the ones used in professional restaurant kitchens. In this recipe you’ll master cooking techniques and learn about caramelisation of the vegetables, the roasting meat trimmings, reducing stock and layering the flavours of wine and port. Sauces shouldn’t be boiled for hours and hours and the reason we use excess meat trimmings in sauces is because they add depth of flavour and help prevent waste. My recipe shows you how easy it is to make a great sauce from scratch. This indulgent sauce is finished with a premium Scotch whisky and a dash of cream. Alongside this I’ve created a recipe using celeriac as it has a unique flavour that is highlighted by baking the celeriac with the garlic and cream helping to bring out its natural sweetness and aniseed like flavour. The rich, fiery whisky peppercorn sauce and creamy layered celeriac are the perfect accompaniments to the venison.