Serves 4
This punchy version suits hungry people who have been out all day; it has remained a favourite with us. All meat cooked in pastry needs plenty of gravy or sauce to go with it (try the recipe on p.150) and choose vegetables that are juicy rather than starchy. The crust should be as thin as possible so that the top is crisp without overcooking the inside.
The oatmeal pastry is a little fragile to handle but is worth the effort.
The cooking times here are calculated for loin with a cross-section of about 8 × 5 cm (3 x 2 inches). If using roe deer loin you may need to tie two pieces of loin together to make a plump enough piece of meat to prevent overcooking. A slim log-shaped piece of rolled haunch will do too - remove all strings before rolling it into the crust. A meat thermometer helps enormously.
650 g (1½ lb) venison loin or slim boneless haunch
Butter/oil for browning
Heat butter and oil till starting to colour and fry the meat all over until nicely browned. Remove it from the pan onto a cold plate and leave to cool completely. Once the joint has cooled down, remove any strings from the meat.
Oatmeal crust
150 g (6 oz) plain flour
80 g (3 oz) medium oatmeal
40 g (1½ oz) butter
40 g (1½ oz) lard
2 plump cloves garlic, crushed or chopped finely
1 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed finely
Beaten egg to glaze
Preheat the oven to Gas 8, 230°C, 450°F. Mix the flour and oatmeal and rub in the butter and lard, then the crushed garlic and juniper berries. Make a workable dough using the minimum water you can manage. Roll out thinly to 0.5 cm (/4 inch). Working carefully to avoid cracking the crust, completely encase the cold meat ensuring the join is underneath. If there should be any small cracks, pinch them together with your fingers. Brush with beaten egg to seal it, and decorate if wished. Cook in the hot oven until the crust is crisp and pale golden (15-20 minutes), then rest it for another 10 minutes.