Roast Fillet of Venison with Cavalo Nero

Boil the potatoes for the Sauté Potatoes  Recipe  . Make the Port Sauce  Recipe  .

Salt and pepper the Venison fillet, put in an ovenproof dish and quickly brown all over in a little olive oil. Put in the oven at 425°F/210°C/Reg7 for about 40 minutes, but check after 30 minutes, it needs to be just slightly pink.

Meanwhile wash and drain the Cavalo Nero, use some scissors to remove the central stalk, and then cut across the leaves to make three or four pieces. Blanch in boiling salted water for about four minutes and take out and drain.

Put two or three thinly sliced cloves of garlic and a tablespoonful or so of olive oil in a frying pan and soften the garlic for a few minutes. Add the Cavalo Nero and stir until hot and covered with the oil and serve. This is the River Café recipe for Cavalo Nero which works well.

Boil the carrots in a little salted water. Finish off the sauté potatoes. Take the venison out of the oven and carve into thickish slices  Picture  . Pour the Port Sauce into the venison cooking dish, and use a spatula to incorporate the meat bits from the bottom of the pan.

Put the Cavalo Nero on to the serving plates, lay the slices of venison on top and pour over a little sauce. Serve with the carrots  Zoom  , and the potatoes served separately.