Pan-roasted hare with glazed beetroots and tayberries

Inspired by the flavours of late summer seasonal ingredients, this dish combines pan-roasted hare with honey glazed beetroots and tayberries. Tayberries, a hybrid fruit developed from raspberries and blackberries, can be substituted with blackberries for this recipe.

Credit: A Girl's Guide To Hunting Fishing and Wild Cooking

• serves

  2-4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• Neutral oil, for drizzling
• 1 hare saddle (on the bone)
• Salt and black pepper
• 40 g butter, plus 30 g for the beets
• ½ head garlic, cloves separated
• ½ bunch herbs (e.g. thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano)
• 3 medium beetroot, cooked (see Note)
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp cabernet vinegar
• ½ punnet tayberries (or blackberries)

Instructions

1. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a campfire or stovetop. Sprinkle the hare with salt and black pepper on all sides. Once the pan is hot, add the hare and sear, turning until all sides are golden.
   
2. Reduce the heat (or move your pan to a cooler part of the fire). Add 40 g butter, garlic and the herbs. Once the butter melts and foams, baste the hare with the butter by tilting the pan and spooning the butter over the meat.
   
3. While the hare gently cooks, peel and slice the cooked beetroot. Combine the beetroot, 30 g butter, honey and vinegar in a small saucepan and place over low heat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook until the syrup has reduced and the beets are glazed. Remove from the heat and stir through the tayberries (or blackberries).
   
4. When the hare is cooked to your liking, remove from the pan to a plate to rest. Once rested, carve the meat from the bone and transfer to a large serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the glazed beets and tayberries around the sliced hare, then spoon over the crispy herbs, butter and garlic from the pan with the hare and serve immediately.

Note

Analiese drizzled her beets with oil, sprinkled with salt then wrapped in foil and roasted until tender for this recipe.

Watch how to make this recipe on Episode 6 of A Girl's Guide To Hunting Fishing and Wild Cooking Season 2, streaming free on SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.