Makes: 10 portions. Cooking time: 20 minutes. Oven temperature: 220°C. Temperature at center of joint: 63-65 °C.
Ingredients:
— 1½ kg prepared saddle of hare (larded)
— marinade preparation
— 2 dl melted dripping or oil
— 1 liters brown stock
— 2 bunched of picked watercress
— 2 dl redcurrant jelly
— seasoning
Method:
(1) Select a roasting tray just large enough to hold the joints comfortably – too large a tray will inevitably lead to the burning of the fat in the high temperature attained during cooking.
(2) Remove the hare from the marinade. Drain and dry then season with salt and place in the roasting tray. Coat the items with dripping and place in the oven to cook. Baste at regular intervals.
(3) When cooked, remove the saddles from the roasting tray. Retain in a tray, preferably standing on a wire grid, and use any juices collected in making the gravy.
(4) Prepare the roast gravy.
(5) Bone the saddles lengthways then carve it into very thin slices along the length. Place the slices directly onto a serving dish, neatly arranged slightly overlapping.
(6) Lightly cover with a little of the roast gravy but do not reheat.
(7) Garnish with the watercress and serve the remainder of the gravy and redcurrant jelly in sauceboats.
Note:
If the saddle is to be carved in the kitchen allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.