Method

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into evenly sized chunks. Fill a saucepan with water and place on a high heat to bring it up to the boil, then add the sweet potato chunks and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the potato pieces are tender enough to offer no resistance to the point of a sharp knife.

As soon as you’ve started the sweet potatoes cooking, put the tbsp of light olive oil in a frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. Season the venison steaks with salt and pepper, then carefully put them into the pan and fry for about four minutes on each side for medium-rare, or longer if preferred. When the steaks are cooked to your liking, remove them from the pan and leave them to rest with a foil ‘lid’ on for five minutes.

When the sweet potatoes are ready, drain them well, then tip them back into the pan and grate in the parmesan cheese. Add a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a small pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the pan, then use a potato masher to make a smoothly combined mash. Put a lid on the pan to keep the mash warm while you finish the recipe. Pour the hot stock into the frying pan you used for the steaks and place back on a high heat. Let the liquid bubble away, and use a spatula or fish slice to scrapes the meat juices off the bottom of the pan and into the stock.

When the liquid has reduced by half, stir in the redcurrant jelly and take the pan off the heat. Fill and boil your kettle, then put the washed spinach into a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Blanch the spinach leaves for 30 seconds, then drain well to remove any excess water. Divide the spinach and the sweet potato mash between two serving plates, then slice the venison and arrange one steak on each plate. Drizzle lightly with some of the redcurrant gravy, then serve, with the rest of the gravy in a jug alongside.