Game Boudin, Crispy Shallots, Port Reduction

This looks much posher than what it is........basically a sausage with a fancy French name. Being a big fan of sausage with bubble & squeak, this is my fine dining makeover of a humble classic. Paired with green veg, feeds 4

Ingredients:

Good quality sausage meat - 400g

Finely sliced pancetta - 15 slices (approx 100g)

Mixed skinless Game - 200g (I used pheasant, rabbit and guinea fowl), cut into small pieces

Fresh thyme - a few sprigs, leaves picked, stems discarded

Good beef or game stock - 500ml

Ruby port - 100ml

Fat Banana Shallots - 2

A little milk

Plain Flour - 1 tbsp

Some leftover cooked mixed vegetables including some potato - 600g

Oil for deep frying
A little butter

Method:

Mix the sausage meat with the thyme and season well. Cool a little bit off to check the seasoning. Oil a work surface and then lay two long and overlapping sheets of cling film over the work surface giving you a large square. The oil makes the cling film stick to the surface. Now lay out the pancetta on the cling film, rasher to rasher, to make a rectangle. Carefully and evenly spread the sausage meat over the pancetta. Season the game pieces and spread evenly over the sausage meat.

Using the edge of the cling film nearest to you, begin to roll the sausage meat into a sausage shape, trapping the game pieces inside. Be sure to free the cling film as you roll. You should end up with a long cylinder of sausage meat with all the game meat sealed inside. Reorganise the cling film so it is as it was. Move the meat back to the edge of the cling film nearest you. Now roll the sausage in the cling film and then twist the ends as you would the wrapper of a boiled sweet.  Keep twisting the ends compressing the meat into a tight cylinder. If you have a lot of air gaps, pierce the cling film to release the air and continue twisting until the sausage feels 'tight'. Wrap the whole lot really well in more cling film to make it water tight. Gently poach or place in an oven set to 100c until the centre of the sausage reaches 85c (obviously you will need a thermometer).

To make the sauce, reduce the stock down to 200ml then add the port and reduce by half again. Roughly blitz the vegetables, season and push into rings to make the bubble and squeak cakes. Cut the shallots into thin rings and soak in milk.

To serve, unwrap the sausage and pan fry to colour the outside. Allow to rest somewhere warm. Pan fry the bubble & squeak cakes in a little oil and butter until golden on both sides and warm through in the oven. Drain the shallot rings and heavily dredge in flour before deep frying at 160c until golden and crispy - season well. Warm the sauce and plate up.