A Viking Mini-Blog: Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport!

Not that I’ve got anything against marsupials, this week’s mini-blog is, once again, about Kangaroo meat and what to do with it.  My friends at Kezie (www.keziefoods.co.uk) had previously supplied me with some lovely Kangaroo striploin, out of which I had already made a pie which you can see elsewhere on the blog.

So what to do with this lean meat?  As far as I could see it, there was only one thing to do.  And so, if you happen to have some Kangaroo hopping about the place, you could try:

Pan-Fried Kangaroo Striploin with Sauté Potatoes, Garlic and Chilli Kale and a Red Wine Reduction

Of course, you’ll need STUFF:

- Kangaroo striploin (this recipe will work just as well with fillet or sirloin of beef)

- A glass of red wine

- Potatoes

- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

- 2 chillies, sliced

- 2 Shallots, finely diced

- A knob of butter

- Kale

- Olive oil

Start off by peeling and chopping the potatoes up in to cubes.  Par boil them, as you would when making roasties.  Once that’s done, drain and place the potatoes on some kitchen roll and pat dry.  Transfer to a pan that has a good amount of hot olive oil in, and fry until golden.  This can take 10-15 minutes.  Once done, place in a roasting tray in a hot oven (220c/Gas 7) while everything else is cooking.

Now, pan fry the Kangaroo steak.  I find that the timings are almost exactly the same as they are for beef.  For this recipe, I seared the meat on a high heat on all sides, and then turned the heat to medium and cooked for a further two minutes on each side. 

 While you’re cooking the Kangaroo, gently sweat the chopped shallots in a pan.  After a minute or two, add a glass of red wine and bring to the boil and reduce down until thick.  Add a knob of butter and a dab of Bisto to give meatiness and shine.  Keep warm, and stir regularly, but do not bring back to the boil.

Now the Kangaroo has been cooked on both sides, place on a tray and put it in the oven with the potato for five minutes.   Remove after this time and leave to rest.

Now, gently cook the garlic in olive oil in a saucepan.  When tender, add kale leaves and garlic and wilt this down.  Give a good stir to make sure the garlic and chilli is running right through the kale leaves, and season with salt and black pepper.

On to a warm plate, place the Kangaroo steak, a pile of sauté potatoes and a good helping of garlic and chilli kale.  Use a spoon to drizzle that lovely red wine reduction all over the meat and around the edge of the plate.

And there it is – a lovely, fresh and tasty meal in under half an hour.  And a blog that can be read in less than five minutes!  I’ll be back, probably tomorrow, with a full-length entry about the springiest of spring foods, Lamb!

In the meantime, many thanks once again to the guys at Kezie for supplying the meat.  I would probably never have tried cooking with Kangaroo had it not been for you!

Until tomorrow, then…

The Viking