Ingredients

Meatloaf

  • 3.5lb Fallow Venison
  • Lardo
  • Caul fat
  • 1 Onion
  • 3 Shallots
  • 3 sticks of Celery
  • 6 cloves Garlic
  • 4 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 Anchovies
  • 1tbsp of Traeger seasoning
  • 6oz Parmesan Cheese

Hasselback Potatoes

  • Potatoes
  • Goose Fat
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper

Sauce

  • Beef Stock
  • Sherry
  • Red Currant Jelly
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Wholegrain Mustard
  • Spring Cabbage
  • Olive Oil

Method

Separate the meat from the bone, do not worry if there is a little sinew or connective tissue as you will be putting the meat through a grinder.  As venison is so lean you will need to add some fat, Mike uses cured lardo and the ratio you are looking for is 80% meat to 20% lardo.  Dice the meat and lardo and run them together through a mincer, firstly on a coarse blade and then again on a finer blade.  The fat and the meat should be evenly mixed by the second run through.  Place the ground meat in the fridge to avoid any build-up of bacteria.

Finely chop an onion, 3 shallots, 3 sticks of celery and 6 garlic cloves.   Heat some oil in a pan and add the vegetable mix to sweat, when softened add to a large mixing bowl and add in the ground meat together with 4 tbsp of tomato ketchup and a handful of chopped parsley.

In a pestle and mortar grind together 2 salted anchovies, 1 tbsp of mustard, 1 tbsp of Traeger seasoning and 1 tbsp black pepper then add to the mixing bowl.  Crack 3 whole eggs on top of the mix and add 2 cups of Panko breadcrumbs.  Finally grate 4 – 6 oz of Parmesan cheese over the mix and using your hands mix together well.    At this stage it is worth frying up a small portion of the mix to check that the seasoning is to your taste. 

Line a large loaf tin with parchment paper.  Using Caul fat crépinette gently layer into the loaf tin to create a casement for your mixture.   Fill the loaf tin with your mixture and then fold over the top of the crépinette to fully encase the load, trimming off any excess. 

Use a meat probe to enable you to keep an eye on the inner temperature.  Mike uses a beef probe as this is closest to Venison.   Place the loaf into the Traeger at a temperature of 170C/340F for around two hours.  You want the internal temperature of the loaf to be around 63C/150 before you remove the loaf from the tin for the final stage of cooking.    Mike uses applewood smoked chips in the Traeger for this recipe.

Peel your potatoes and slice finely to a depth of around ¾.  Mike uses skewers through the potato as a guide to cutting depth but Will likes to place the potatoes between two spoons.  Place the sliced potatoes onto a baking tray, cut side up and sprinkle with a little salt.  In a small pot pour your goose fat, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, pinch of salt and pinch of pepper and use this mix to baste the potatoes.   Retain the leftover mix as you will want to baste again during the cooking process and will use the remainder on the meat loaf.    Place the potatoes in the Traeger with your meat loaf.  These will take around an hour. 

Quarter a large spring cabbage and sprinkle with salt.   Place in a saucepan with a little water and drizzle with Olive Oil to blanche before roasting on the Traeger. 

Start to reduce down the beef stock, add a tbsp of Dijon Mustard, a tbsp of Wholegrain mustard, a tbsp of Red currant jelly and a splash of sherry.   Remove the meatloaf from the Traeger and tip the juices into the gravy.  Slide out the meatloaf and place onto a baking tray before basting with the remaining garlic and goose fat mix that you created for the potatoes.  Place the meatloaf back into the Traeger and turn the temperature up to 235C/455F for around 15 minutes.   Place your blanched cabbage directly onto the rack of the Traeger to roast, turning once after around 10 minutes.

Remove the meatloaf from the Traeger and allow to rest for around 30 minutes. 

Plate up with two slices of the meatloaf,  hasselback potatoes, a piece of roasted cabbage and the silky flavoursome gravy.