Saddle of venison with beetroot and elderberries

Serves 4

In celebration of Scottish Venison Day on 4 September.

The saddle is a very tender cut of venison. You can roast it on the bone, but as the eye of meat is generally so small, a few minutes in a pan is all it really needs.

Elderberries are not normally available in the shops, so you'll need a nearby tree. They should be ripe around now, probably earlier than usual this year. Otherwise you could replace them with redcurrants or any other small berries. Beetroot is in season now, too. You can tell whether the small ones with leaves on are fresh, but if you're mashing them you may want to look for larger beets.

4 trimmed venison saddle fillets, about 150g each
Half a glass or 50ml of good red wine
6 juniper berries, crushed
A few sprigs of thyme, chopped
A little vegetable oil

For the sauce

150ml beef or game stock (a good, low-salt stock cube will do or your own freshly made gravy.
50g elderberries

For the mashed beetroot

250g raw beetroot
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
20gm of butter

The day ahead, marinate the venison overnight in the wine, with the juniper and thyme, in a stainless-steel or china dish covered with clingfilm.

The next day, prepare the mashed beetroot: put the beetroot in a stainless pan, cover with water and a good couple of teaspoons of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they are soft. Drain in a colander, leave them to cool for about 15 minutes then rub off the skin with your hands (a pair of rubber gloves is useful protection). Return to the saucepan, coarsely mash with a potato masher, add the butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, mixing well. Put to one side.

Remove the venison from the marinade, pat the fillets dry on some kitchen paper and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Retain the marinade.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan and cook the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side for medium rare, or a few minutes longer for medium. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillets. Leave to rest on a warm plate to catch the juices.

Meanwhile put the marinade in a saucepan and boil it rapidly until it has reduced to about a tablespoon. Add the stock and any juices from the cooked venison, and simmer for a few minutes or so until the sauce thickens, then strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Return to the pan, add the elderberries and butter and stir well until the butter has emulsified into the sauce.

Reheat the beetroot and spoon into the centre of the plates. Slice the venison into four or five pieces and arrange on the beetroot, then pour the sauce around.