Roast
Reindeer roast with tricolour sweet potato fries
Reindeer topside seared hard, roasted low and carved thin, with sweet potato fries and a horseradish cream for dipping.
Instructions
Start with the roast, since it needs a rest at the end.
Take the reindeer topside out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook so it loses its chill.
Rub it all over with the salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and sear the reindeer on every side until richly browned, 1–2 minutes a side.
Move it to an oven preheated to 120°C (250°F) and roast until the centre reads 54–56°C (129–133°F) for medium-rare, roughly 25–35 minutes depending on thickness.
Tent it loosely in foil and let it rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.
The fries can go in while the roast rests.
Turn the oven up to 220°C (428°F). Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into batons about 1 cm (⅖ inch) thick.
Toss the batons with the vegetable oil, salt and smoked paprika.
Spread them out on a parchment-lined tray and bake for 20–25 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden with crisp edges.
The dipping cream takes a minute.
Stir the crème fraîche or yogurt together with the horseradish, lemon juice and a pinch of salt until smooth.
Keep it in the fridge until you sit down.
Warm your plates before you serve.
Fan the slices of reindeer across each plate, pile the coloured fries alongside and put the horseradish cream on the table in a small bowl. Scatter a few thyme leaves over the fries.
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