David Rottenberg

Cured kangaroo, char-grilled and served with creamy celery root mousse, crispy potato hash and a roasted garlic sauce

Ingredients

6 Kangaroo top-side steaks, fat and silverskin removed
Sugar Cure for Kangaroo
125g Flossy salt
125g white sugar
1/2 a bunch thyme, roughly cut (stems included)
Cracked white pepper

Method

In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except kangaroo steaks, very well.

Add the kangaroo steaks to the bowl, mix around to ensure the kangaroo steaks are evenly coated with this mixture.

Set a cake cooling rack in a sided baking tray and place the steaks on the rack.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Let stand for 6 hours.

Remove and wash off the cure under running water.

Reserve.

Celery Root Mousse

Ingredients

2 large celery roots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
salt
pepper
whole milk
water

Method

In a saucepan, completely cover celery root with a mixture of whole milk and cold water. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to just under the boil. Lower heat, let simmer until celery root is quite soft.

Strain.

Puree celery root in a food processor until very creamy and no lumps remain.

Pass puree through a wire mesh strainer to ensure fine texture (optional).

Put in a plastic container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Crispy Potato Julienne

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, peeled (Desiree potatoes preferred)

Method

Julienne the potatoes by using either the fine julienne attachment on a hand held mandolin or slice by hand.

Rinse under running cold water until the water from the potatoes runs clear.

This will remove the starch.

Strain.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Deep fry until golden brown.

Drain and set aside, uncovered until needed.

Potato Hash

Ingredients

2 large Desiree potatoes, peeled and small dice
3 slices bacon, middle rasher, rindless, small dice
3 medium shallots, small dice
1/2 abunch chives, finely chopped
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
Grapeseed oil

Method

Heat a small amount of grapeseed oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

When hot, add bacon and cook until crisp.

Do not shake the pan too much but rather, allow the bacon to brown on one side, then stir with a wooden spoon until evenly cooked and crisp.

Strain the bacon well, keeping the fat.

Over high flame, heat another large saut» pan.

Add the strained bacon fat and enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Put in the potatoes and let them sit until they brown on one side.

Then stir and evenly cook other sides. When the potatoes are almost completely cooked, add the shallots and herbs.

Mix well.

Add this potato mixture to the bacon.

Mix together.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Demi-Glace

Ingredients

(This is normally a three day process so I have tried to reduce this to be less time consuming)
5 veal knuckle bones
2 carrots, tops and tails cut off, chopped roughly
3 sticks celery, leaves and base removed, chopped roughly
1kg brown onions, peeled and chopped roughly
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 3/4 cup dry white wine

Method

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. Place bones in a baking tray and roast in oven until brown, turning once half way to evenly cook.

At this time add vegetables to the pan.

Once bones are fully browned, stir in the tomato paste and roast for 5 min. longer.

Put all the solids into a stock pot.

Place the roasting pan with the juices, on a medium flame and deglaze with the wine, stirring to remove the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour this over the bones and add water to cover bones by about 4 Ïnch.

Bring to a boil. Skim off the impurities that rise to the top.

Reduce to a simmer over low heat for 8 hours. If need to, add more water – the bones should always be covered by 2inches of liquid.

Strain.

Reduce liquid to 3 cups over a medium flame, skimming off the impurities occasionally. Strain through the finest metal mesh strainer available.

Set aside required quantity until needed and freeze any excess for later use.

Roasted Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

3 Heads garlic, whole, unpeeled 1 Cup Demi-Glace

Method

Heat oven to 200 degrees C.

Place the garlic on a tray and roast for 45 minutes.

Outside skin of the garlic should be light brown and the heads should be very soft. Remove and cool. (This is very important as the garlic pulp is extremely hot at this point.) Once cool, cut off the top of the head and squeeze out all the pulp into a small bowl. Remove any stray bits of skin.

Pass the pulp through a wire meshed strainer and then whisk the puree into the Demi-Glace.

Method

Char-grill the kangaroo steaks until medium.

At the same time warm the Celery Root Mousse in a saucepan and add salt and pepper to taste.

Also, warm the potato hash and the Roasted Garlic Sauce separately.

When the kangaroo is finished add the butter to the warm Celery Root Mousse, stirring all the time and never letting it come to a boil.

Place the ring mould in the middle of the plates.

Place the Potato Hash into the bottom of each mould.

Then spoon the mousse onto the Potato Hash.

Cut the steaks on an angle against the grain and place one steak on top of each mould. Remove the ring, carefully.

Spoon the sauce around the plate and top with Crispy Potato Julienne.