Melanie Johnson shares an extravagantly hearty and grand recipe ideal for the time of year.
‘Girolles have a wonderful fruity, peppery flavour that must be enjoyed as often as possible when they’re in season,’ says our kitchen garden cook, Melanie Johnson.
They can be very simply used: fried with some garlic and chorizo, they make a sensational croissant filling; and if you fry them in butter with a clove of grated garlic, generous seasoning, and a little paprika, then stir in mascarpone, you’ll have created a rich and creamy sauce ideal for pasta.
The dish below is a step up from those simple dishes, yet each step is simple — and the Parmesan-roasted potatoes
Recipe: Girolles and venison-steak stroganoff with truffle and Parmesan-roasted potatoes
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the stroganoff
- 25g butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 400g girolles, whole, or torn if large
- 40ml brandy
- 2tbspn plain flour
- 400ml beef stock
- 75ml soured cream
- 4 large sweet gherkins, sliced
- 4 venison steaks, removed from the fridge an hour before cooking
For the truffle potatoes
- 750g potatoes
- Olive oil
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 25ml truffle oil
- 50g Parmesan, grated
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4.
Cut and peel the potatoes into wedges and toss generously in olive oil. Pull the leaves from the rosemary and scatter over. Roast for 30 minutes or longer if needed, until crispy. Lower the heat to keep warm until ready to serve.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the onion until soft and translucent, but not browned. Add the girolles and cook until soft and the water from them has evaporated. Add the brandy and heat until entirely reduced. Sprinkle over the flour, mix it in and then stir in the stock. Simmer over a medium heat to reduce by about one-third before stirring through the soured cream and gherkin slices.
Prepare the venison steaks by rubbing them all over with olive oil and seasoning. Brown in a scorching pan for a matter of minutes on each side for medium or longer, depending on the thickness of your steaks. Cook to your liking and then place on top of the mushroom stroganoff. At this point, you can keep the whole dish warm in a low oven, which makes it great for entertaining.
When ready to eat, drizzle the potato wedges with truffle oil, season generously and grate over the Parmesan. Scatter fresh parsley over the venison steaks and serve them with the truffle and Parmesan potatoes on the side.
