boned, rolled and cooked hare in a rich sauce with shavings of summer truffle
pinterest logoClick on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.

Lievre á la Royale (Hare á la Royale)

Lievre á la Royale (Hare á la Royale) is a traditional French recipe for a classic, but fairly complex dish of boned, stuffed and rolled hare that's cooked in a thick wine sauce and is served sliced with the sauce and roast potatoes and which makes a spectacular centrepiece for a French-style New Year meal. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic French version of: Hare á la Royale (Lievre á la Royale).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

100 minutes

Total Time:

120 minutes

Additional Time:

(+28 hours marinating)

Serves:

6

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Pork RecipesStew RecipesPotato RecipesBread RecipesEgg RecipesVegetable RecipesNew Year RecipesGame RecipesFrench Recipes

(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')


Ingredients:

1 large hare (about 3kg) [or substitute rabbit]
400g pork fillets, rinds removed and cut into small squares
300g streaky bacon, cut into small pieces
200g sliced bread, crusts removed and diced
2 garlic cloves
small bunch of savoury herbs, finely chopped
1 goose liver (between 600g and 700g)
1 large truffle (about 50g), skin pared into shavings and flesh chopped
4 eggs
200ml Marc de Bourgogne (a brandy distilled from bourgogne grape residue)
1/2 tsp powdered garlic
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

For the Aromatic Garnish:
carrots, diced
onions, diced
shallots, diced
bouquet garni
coarse sea salt
3l Vieux Cahors wine
1kg small boletus mushrooms (reserve 12 heads and fry these to garnish)
16 small croutons (cut in heart shapes)
15 charlotte potatoes, halved and turned to shape

shavings of summer truffles to garnish

Method:

The day before, prepare the hare. Skin the animal then paunch it, being careful to reserve the liver, heart and blood. Now bone the hare, being careful not to poke any holes in the flesh.

Crush the bones, add to a large bowl then mix in the carrots, onions, shallots, bouquet garni, sea salt and wine. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and set aside in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 28 hours.

Also, the day before, mince the hare heart and liver. Combine this in a bowl with the pork fillet and bacon pieces. Moisten the bread with the Marc de Bourgogne and add this to the meat mixture. Now stir in the truffle shavings, chopped herbs, powdered garlic and seasonings. Mix thoroughly then beat the eggs and add these to the mixture, stirring to combine. Cover with clingfilm then set aside in the refrigerator for at least 18 hours, so that the flavours have a chance to meld together.

The following day, remove the hare from the marinade and lay on a chopping block. Separate the hind legs, so that you can lay them parallel to the ribcage. Season liberally with salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Take the goose liver and separate the lobes from the sinews and blood vessels (run these through a mincer). Slice the liver into strips.

Flatten the hare out then spread a layer of the chilled stuffing mix on top, followed by some of the goose liver strips and the chopped truffle. Top with another layer of stuffing. Roll the hare up lengthways and sit this on greaseproof (waxed) paper rubbed with oil. Roll this into a sausage shape and secure with thread.

Place the hare roll in a roasting tin with goose fat, transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and cook for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally, or until browned all over.

Now remove the bones from the marinade and drain the garnish ingredients from the wine (reserve the wine). When the hare roll has covered, remove the paper. Secure the hare with string then place back in the roasting dish with the bones and vegetables. Add the bouquet garni, boletus mushrooms and sea salt then return to the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

At this point pour over some red wine (just enough to cover). Place on the hob and cook on a light boil for about 200 minutes, topping the red wine up, as needed. When done, remove from the heat then take out the hare and prick the surface with a needle then set aside on a wire rack to cool. For the final 40 minutes of cooking, heat goose fat in a roasting dish. Par boil the potatoes, drain and turn in the fat then transfer to the oven and cook until nicely roasted.

Strain the sauce into a pan, bring to a boil and cook to reduce. Take off the heat then add the minced liver trimmings and hare blood (pass these through a fine-meshed sieve). Return to the hob and cook gently until thickened (but do not boil, or it will separate).

To serve, cut the hare sausage into rounds. Place a round in the centre of a soup plate and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with the heart-shaped bread croutons and two fried mushroom heads and accompany with the roast potatoes.

Finish with the summer truffle shavings.

Find more New Year/Hogmanay Recipes Here.