Roast Moose with Potato Gratin
To get maximum flavor. I'm cooking the meat in a quite special way. I'm using a lot of butter.
INGREDIENTS:
Serves four people
2 pounds, 900 grams moose roast
butter
salt and pepper
½ cup, 1,2 dl game stock, or veal stock
½ cup, 1,2 dl cream
3 tablespoons dried mushrooms
1-2 teaspoons mustard powder
fresh herbs, such as thyme
1 ½ pound, 700 grams potatoes
2 Jerusalem artichokes
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
4 tablespoons butter
3-4 ounces, about 100 grams grated cheddar cheese
PREPARATION:
Moose is relatively lean meat, so it can become dry and chewy. That is why I cook the roast carefully, and I also set a side plenty of time for it to rest. If you are inspired but without the ability to source moose or elk, you can use lean beef.
Serve with kale and baked pumpkin.
Preheat oven to 300 F/145 C.
Heat butter in a small pot. Sear the meat well on all sides.
Use a full stick of butter, more than 100 grams. Continuously spooning the butter over the meat, so it gets cooked from all sides. This is a great way of not burning the butter, and gives it maximum flavor from the browning of the butter and the meat.
Add stock, cream, dried mushrooms and mustard powder. Place the pot in the oven, lid on, and cook until the core temperature is 140 F/ 60C. This takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Use a digital meat thermometer. Take the pot out from the oven, and leave to rest. The temperature will rise quite a few degrees. Do not start cutting it until the temperature starts to drop.
Meanwhile, peel and boil potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes. Mash, and mix with butter and mustard. Add to an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
While the meat rests, bake in the oven at 350 F, 175 C, until nicely browned, about 15-20 minutes. (More if you allowed the potatoes to cool before baking. In that case, leave in the oven with the meat for half an hour and then cook 15-20 minutes at higher temperature.)
Cut the meat into thin slices, pour over some of the sauce from the pot. Serve with gratin.