Wallaby tartare with crispy potato galette

One of the best ways to serve wallaby, surprisingly, is raw. In this recipe, lean wallaby meat meets classic French accompaniments to make the tartarte, and is served with a buttery potato galette for a great entrée to serve at your next dinner party.

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

• serves

  2-4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:05 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 120 g wallaby topside (see Note)
• 1 egg yolk
• 15 g Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp tomato sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 50 ml neutral oil
• Salt and black pepper
• Hot sauce, to taste (optional)
• ½ eschallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, drained, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped cornichons
• ½ small bunch chives, finely chopped

For the galette

• 7 medium waxy potatoes (around 900 g)
• 125 g clarified butter, melted
• 10 g sea salt flakes

Instructions

1. To make the galette, preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a 22 cm round baking pan with baking paper. Scrub the potatoes and thinly slice to 2 mm thick (use a mandolin, if you have one). Combine the potatoes, butter and salt in a large bowl and toss until completely coated.
   
2. Layer the potato slices in concentric circles in the prepared tray, ensuring each new slice overlaps the previous one by about two-thirds. Continue layering the slices until the pan is full and you’ve used all the potatoes.
   
3. Top the galette with a square of baking paper, followed by a small round tray, ovenproof plate or lid, to weigh the galette down as it bakes. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the centre slides in easily.
   
4. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, then gently transfer the galette to an oven-proof, heavy-based frying pan. Grill the galette until golden-brown, then remove from the oven. Set aside until needed.
   
5. To make the tartare, trim the wallaby of any silver skin, then finely chop into 0.5 cm cubes. Place into a medium bowl.
   
6. In a second medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk, mustard, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce until combined. Whisk in the neutral oil until thick and emulsified and season with a generous pinch of salt, pepper and a drizzle of hot sauce (if using!)
   
7. Gently fold the eschallot, capers and cornichons through the wallaby, followed by the dressing. Taste and add another pinch of salt and pepper, if you like!
   
8. Place a metal circle cutter onto a serving plate, then spoon the dressed wallaby into the ring to form a circular shape. Sprinkle with the chives and serve immediately.

Note

If you can’t find wallaby, substitute beef topside or eye fillet instead.

Watch how to make this recipe on Episode 3 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.