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Rabbit with shallots, rosemary and garlic with parsley mash

Mike Robinson from Chalet Slaves
Prepare to fall in love with Mike Robinson's glorious garlicky rabbit, as each toothsome mouthful falls tenderly off the bone

Rabbit with shallots, rosemary and garlic with parsley mash

Method

1. Season the flour with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roll the joints of rabbit in the flour.

2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy casserole dish over a medium heat. Gently fry the rabbit pieces until golden brown all over (do this in batches). Remove all the rabbit pieces and reserve.

3. Add the bacon to the pan. While that is cooking away, put on a pair of ski goggles and peel the shallots. Chop half of them finely and leave the rest whole. Add them all to the bacon in the casserole, together with the garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes or so until everything is browned off and the bottom of the casserole is sticky and a bit burned (this is a good thing, I promise!).

4. Now for the fun bit. Turn up the heat and add a glass of red wine. Scrape away at the bottom of the casserole and all the burnt bits will come away, making the beginnings of a super rich sauce.

5. Heat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Add the rabbit, packing it in tightly. Lay the rosemary on top. If you want you can sprinkle the rabbit with whole unpeeled garlic cloves. Add red wine until it covers the rabbit (a Burgundy, or Pinot Noir is best for this dish).

6. Cover the casserole and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes for farmed rabbit, or 2 hours and 30 minutes if you are using wild rabbit. When the rabbit is so tender it melts off the bone, place the meat on a serving dish and stir the cornflour and butter into the sauce to thicken it.

7. Meanwhile, make the parsley mash. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain really well, and then shake until they are dry and fluffy. Mash until smooth.

8. Add all the chopped parsley, the butter and milk. Season well.

9. Pour the sauce over the rabbit and scatter over all the gorgeous shallots and cooked garlic. Add a sprinkling of parsley and serve with the mash - and that's it!

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Serves: 8

Prep: 1 hr, including mash
Cook: 3 hrs

Ingredients
4-5 tbsp plain flour
2 large rabbits, each cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
30g Butter
3-4 tbsp Olive oil
100g smoked bacon or pancetta
20 or 30 Shallots
8 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 big sprigs Rosemary
2 bottles of Burgundy or Pinot Noir
2 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp softened butter
1 tbsp chopped parsley, to serve
freshly ground salt and black pepper

For the Parsley Mash

2kg floury potatoes, such as King Edwards or Maris Piper, peeled and cut into 2.5cm chunks
80g Butter, softened
3-4 tbsp hot milk
large bunch of curly parsley, finely chopped
salt and fresh ground black pepper