Hare

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Narrow boning knife or stiff paring knife
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy roasting pan with low rack
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small saucepan and warmed sauceboat
• •Carving knife and sturdy board

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Set a rack in the upper-middle of the oven and heat it to 475°F (245°C). Fit a low roasting rack inside a heavy roasting pan. Chill the bacon matchsticks until rigid, about 15 minutes; firm bacon passes through the meat cleanly, while warm bacon bends and smears.

   A thoroughly heated oven is the home equivalent of the fierce roasting fire. Give it at least 25 minutes after the thermostat declares itself ready.
2. 2

   Clear the râble

   Lay the râble bone-side down and examine both long loins. Slip the point of a narrow knife beneath each white membrane, pull the membrane taut, and shave it away with the blade angled toward the tendon rather than the meat. Remove every visible cord and loose flap without gouging the loins, then pat the entire râble very dry. This clearing is the principle carried into the method: a tendon missed now tightens beyond rescue in the oven.

3. 3

   Lard it delicately

   Using the tip of the knife, make narrow tunnels lengthwise through the thickest parts of the loins, following the muscle rather than cutting across it. Space them about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart and push one chilled bacon matchstick into each tunnel, leaving no long ends exposed to scorch. The aim is fine threads of protective fat, not great plugs of bacon. If a strip softens or tears, stop and chill it again for five minutes. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Roast at fierce heat

   Season the exposed meat evenly with the salt and pepper, accounting for the salt already carried by the bacon. Set the râble bone-side down on the rack and roast for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, then continue for 8 to 12 minutes. Begin checking at 18 minutes. Remove it when the coolest part of the thickest loin reaches 154 to 156°F (68 to 69°C); it must reach 160°F (71°C) during the rest. The clock gives the old formula, but the thermometer decides. If the surface darkens before the centre is ready, lower the oven to 425°F (220°C) and continue in two-minute intervals.

5. 5

   Warm the sauce

   While the râble finishes, put the prepared Poivrade Sauce in a small saucepan and warm it over gentle heat until it reaches a bare simmer and coats the back of a spoon. Do not derive another sauce from the roasting pan; Poivrade Sauce remains a finished accompaniment served apart. If it tightens while waiting, whisk in hot water one teaspoon at a time until its gloss and pouring consistency return.

6. 6

   Rest and carve

   Transfer the râble to a warm board and cover it very loosely with foil for 10 minutes. Check that the centre has reached 160°F (71°C); if it has not, return the whole râble to the oven for two minutes before carving. Run the carving knife close along both sides of the backbone to lift away the long loins, turn the saddle over to recover the smaller fillets, then slice the meat across the grain into pieces about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Catch any resting juices and spoon them over the meat.

7. 7

   Serve sauce apart

   Arrange the carved râble on a warmed oval platter, preserving the order of the slices so the form of the roast remains clear. Spoon only a little Poivrade Sauce beside the meat and pass the rest in a warmed sauceboat. The hare should arrive burnished, just done, and generous, with no unnecessary decoration. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the râble from a reputable game butcher and ask for the complete bone-in back, with the tail retained when available. Have the butcher inspect it for shot damage, but do the final tendon clearing yourself so you can feel exactly what remains.
• •Use unsmoked larding bacon or fatback. Heavily smoked breakfast bacon overwhelms the clean mineral flavour of hare, and thin supermarket rashers are too soft to thread neatly.
• •Do not serve wild hare rare. Fierce heat preserves tenderness by shortening the cooking time, while the thermometer confirms that the centre reaches 160°F (71°C) after resting.
• •The source gives the northern accompaniments of lightly sweetened stewed apples or redcurrant jelly, and a separate German treatment finished with sour cream. They are alternatives, not additions to Poivrade Sauce.
• •A mature red Burgundy or a northern Rhône Syrah has enough savoury depth for hare and enough freshness for the pepper and acidity of Poivrade Sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Poivrade Sauce as its own finished component up to two days ahead. Cool it promptly, keep it covered in the refrigerator, and reheat it gently while the râble rests.
• •The râble may be cleared and larded up to six hours before roasting. Keep it covered and chilled, then take it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before it enters the fully heated oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)