Ingredients (serves four) 500g venison saddle (have your butcher trim any fat or sinew) Half butternut squash (peeled and thinly sliced) 3 King Edward potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced) Half an onion finely chopped 250g kale (blanched and refreshed) 40g garlic butter 20g goose or duck fat (lard can be used ) 500ml good chicken stock 200g mixed wild mushrooms 150g finely chopped onion, celery and carrot Sprig thyme and 1 garlic clove 250ml red wine Salt and pepper to taste A pinch of nutmeg Method Mix the stock and garlic clove with the thyme leaves. Layer the potato with the squash in a small but deep roasting tin. Pour over the stock until just covered, season and cover with tin foil and bake for about 1 hour (until soft) 175ºC /gas 3-4. Meanwhile, season the meat and brown in a hot pan with a little of the duck fat. Remove from the heat and allow to rest with the remaining duck fat. With the garlic butter, gently sauté the wild mushrooms then add the kale with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Keep this warm. The sauce can now be made by sweating the chopped onion mix until golden brown in a little olive oil. Add the red wine and reduce until the mix is just covered. It should be slightly sticky. The meat should go into the oven for about 10 more mins. At the same time the foil should come off the potatoes and the butter put in blobs over the top of them. Return the potatoes to the oven with the meat (10 mins) Gently warm the kale and mushroom mix. Strain the sauce into a jug. The meat will come out to rest while serving the potato onto the plate with the kale and mushroom beside. Slice the venison neatly onto the potato in a fan. Carefully spoon the sauce around the dish and serve. Top tip: This dish is all about the timing – be careful. The potatoes can take up to an hour and a half while the venison will only take about 20 mins (don’t forget the resting times as it is very important). The kale and mushroom will take 10 mins as will the sauce. Good luck as this is a fantastic autumn dish.