Potato, Leek & Venison Chorizo Pasties
Originally from the Netherlands, Jan Jacob & Anja Baak moved to the Scottish Highlands over 20 years ago after falling in love with the rugged landscape and slower pace of life.
While here, Jan became involved with managing the wild deer population, and soon after, their love for delicious, sustainable venison was born.
After years of experimenting, building a smokehouse in their garden and creating recipes, Great Glen Charcuterie was created. These days, you can find their smoked, cured meats in over 50 locations all over Scotland, both in independent stores and served in some of Scotland's best restaurants.
After discovering Great Glen Charcuterie venison (which does not include pork) and gifting most of my family some this Christmas, I knew I had to persuade Anja to share a recipe with us, too!
These pasties will make a lovely lunchtime treat this time of year and can be served hot or cold. These crispy, flaky pasties include in-season vegetables, a bit of spice and, of course, delicious local, sustainable venison. What more could you ask for?
The Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 venison chorizo finely chopped
1 pack rolled puff pastry
2 leftover potatoes
Finely sliced leek
Teaspoon mild curry spices
Seasoning
Olive oil
Small knob of butter
1 egg, beaten
Method
Fry the leeks and chorizo in a little oil and butter until soft. Add the spices and chopped potatoes. You can vary the filling according to what you have in your fridge. Try adding cheese, spinach or frozen peas if you like.
Combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Leave to cool a little.
Heat the oven to 180C.
Use a bowl or small plate as a template to cut 14cm circles out of the pastry. Place some of the mixture in the middle. Brush the edges with egg and fold over to enclose the filling.
Pinch the edges together to seal either with your fingers or a fork.
Place pasties on a nonstick baking tray and brush with egg yolk.
Bake in a hot oven for 40 mins or until golden. Serve warm or leave to cool.
“Scottish venison is a natural, ethical and healthy meat with strong credentials in terms of traceability and sustainability. Wild deer roam freely in the Scottish hills feeding on heather, wild plants and grass. This makes wild venison a deliciously healthy and sustainable meat source. With no natural predators in Scotland, the wild deer population has to be managed by man to keep the numbers at a sustainable level and protect the environment from overgrazing and starvation of the animals in winter.”
