4eight ounce venison shanksor roughly similar sized shanks from lamb or pork, tied with twine to hold their shape
¼cupdandelion capersrefer to my recipe here
4cupsvenison stockpreferably made from roasted venison bones (beef stock can be substituted)
2cupsdry red wine
6filets of highest quality possible anchovy(warm water/expensive ones will be less fishy), rinsed quickly under cold water then minced
½lbescarolewashed and cleaned (another bitter green of your choice can be substituted)
2tablespoonunsalted butterplus another small knob for wilting the escarole
Bouquet garni: 5 sprigs fresh thymetwo 3inchx1inch strips of orange zest, 1 large clove garlic, 1 fresh bay leaf, 5 black peppercorns (optional)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Mashed potatoesfor serving (I pass mine through a chinois strainer at the restaurant and use unholy amounts of butter and cream, but you don't have to)
2tablespoonslard or high heat cooking oil
Instructions
Season the venison with salt and pepper.
Heat the lard in a saute pan, then brown the venison all over. Remove the venison from the pan and add the anchovies and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine and scrape up the browned bits, then transfer the venison shanks and the wine to a shallow baking dish and add the bouquet and stock then cover the pan tightly with foil.
Bake the shanks at 275 degrees for 2 hours or until very tender.
Glazing the Shanks and Plating
Remove the venison shanks from their liquid and keep warm in a preheated oven, covered so they don't dry out. Reduce the juice in the pan until ½ cup remains, then whisk in the unsalted butter until thickened like gravy. Put the shanks back in the pan and start basting with the sauce, keeping the heat low to avoid breaking the emulsion you've made with the butter. Continue basting the shank until they are glazed and shiny from the sauce.
Double check the seasoning and keep warm. Spoon some mashed potatoes in the middle of 4 preheated dinner plates, then top with a venison shank, spoon over some of the sauce, and top with the dandelion capers you've braised in some of their liquid and butter until tender, don't brown them though, just take off the chill.
Meanwhile, wilt the escarole in the remaining tablespoon of butter, adding a tablespoon of water and covering the pan to help wilt it. Season the escarole lightly, then remove, blot dry quickly to remove excess water, and place alongside the venison shank and serve immediately.
Notes
You'll need to saw the bones off your venison shank to make them look like this. It might seem strange to braise meat with anchovies. This is an Italian braising trick that adds salt and umami, the orange peel in the bouquet marries perfectly with the subtle flavor the anchovies give. If you'd like to flavor the braise with something different though, go for it. Putting coffee espresso, and/or a little bitter chocolate in it is another favorite trick of mine.The caper garnish uses my dandelion capers. See that recipe here.