CHEF and blogger Paul James writes for our paper.
Now everyone loves a plate of comforting creamy mash potato and especially something special to go with it, it could be sausage or fish.
But I love savoury mince, it’s cheap simple and feeds a family so well.
But instead of the usual minced beef I thought I’d give the wild boar mince ago.
The wild boar are stocky and powerful, with bristly type hair.
The mature males have tusks that protrude from the mouth and during breeding season the male boar develops a thick layer of tissue to protect themselves during fights (I’ve been in a few pubs in my time that has the same type of clientele).
But anyway moving on, as you know, boar are the wild ancestors of domestic pigs.
And are common in areas such as the Forest of Dean, South East and South West England, South East Wales and North West Scotland.
Wild boar meat has a strong, nutty, rich flavour that is unique and often not comparable to other meats.
So I thought it would be a good idea to add some blueberries into the dish.
According to studies, a bowl of blueberries can help immunity and reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity and heart diseases.
Well I’m no doctor, so all I was interested in was the flavour of the bursting, bright coloured berries in every bite.
Blueberries are a perfect combination with this mince dish and with the comforting creamy, buttery mashed potatoes, you will be onto a winner.
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Wild boar with blueberries and creamy mash
Ingredients
400g Wild boar mince
1 large onion finely sliced
2 carrots finely sliced
1tsp of minced garlic
1 cinnamon stick
1tsp of nutmeg
2 bay leaves
200ml red wine
200g fresh blueberries
600ml of chicken stock
4 large potatoes washed, peeled and cut into cubes and cooked.
Fresh parsley for garnish.
Method
1. In a large saucepan brown the meat. Once this is done add it to a bowl and leave to one side.
2. Using the same pan, sauté the onions and carrots until slightly tender.
3. Add the garlic and red wine and reduce the wine down to nothing.
4. Add the minced boar meat into the pan along with the chicken stock, cinnamon, bay leaves and nutmeg.
5. Cook slowly, cover with a lid until the liquid turns into a thick sauce (if it’s still to loose, just mix a bit of cornflour with a drop of water and stir into the mixture)
6. When the mince is cooked, I like to sprinkle in an OXO cube just to add a bit of meaty flavour to it.
7. Leave to simmer slowly while you finish of the mashed potatoes.
8. Once you’ve drained the potatoes add a chunk of butter (as you know with my food, it’s all about taste and not quantities) and cover with a lid to let the butter melt softly in the steam.
9. Then mash until silky smooth (I usually add a couple of splashes of milk) season to taste.
10. Now add the blueberries into the mince mixture and warm them through.
11. Serve on a warm plate with a generous dollop of creamy mash and a sprinkle of parsley on top.
