Irish wild-game cooking: Braised Rabbit with Irish Curry and Potatoes in “Braising the Wild”

BRAISED RABBIT WITH IRISH CURRY AND POTATOES St. Patrick’s Day is less than a month away and leading up to this big Irish feast I’ll be sharing some of my favorite Irish wild game recipes. Irish curry and potatoes is a favorite in Irish pubs, though the recipe is adopted from British curry, which was adopted from Indian curry. I am using the word adopted loosely here. Nevertheless, while there are a lot of spices in this sauce, it’s worth it, and this is one of my all-time favorites. You are certainly welcome to substitute any white-meat game for the rabbit, though it may affect Crock Pot cooking time. Ingredients (four servings): 1 rabbit; skinned, dressed and quarter (approximately 2-1/2 pounds) Light dusting of salt and pepper 1 cup chicken stock 1 honeycrisp apple, diced 1 pound potatoes; washed, diced and fried Irish curry sauce 1 medium onion, diced 1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled, seeded and diced 1 ounce freshly minced ginger 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic 1 tablespoon malt vinegar 2 cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 tablespoons paprika 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon all-spice 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper To prepare sauce, heat a thin layer of canola oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit on medium in a large skillet. Add diced apple, onion, ginger and garlic to skillet and dust with salt and pepper. Cook until onions and apple are soft then deglaze with malt vinegar. Add spices and chicken stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add flour and stir thoroughly. Put skillet contents into food processor and blend thoroughly. Once completely blended, place back in skillet and keep on low, stirring often and careful not to burn. Salt to taste. To grill rabbit, heat barbecue grill until coals are red and flaming or propane is set to medium heat. With a field-dressed rabbit, quarter the rabbit and lightly salt and pepper all sides. Place pieces on grill and sear all sides. Remove and place rabbit pieces in a Crock Pot, add 1 cup chicken stock and 1 diced honeycrisp apple. Cover and set heat to low and timer to 4 hours. Check after 2 hours, use two forks to separate and shred meat from bones. After the total 4 hours, meat should easily flake from bones, even ribs. Be CAREFUL not to serve small bones with shredded rabbit. To prepare potatoes, wash 1 pound of potatoes and dice into cubes. Place diced potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Heat pot on high until water starts to steam. Before water starts to boil, drain water. Lightly salt and pepper potatoes while they dry in large pot. Heat an inch of canola oil in a deep sauté pan on medium heat to 350 degrees. Add potatoes and turn to heat to medium-high. Turn potatoes often to achieve a golden texture on all sides. Once potatoes are golden brown, remove from oil and set on a napkin-covered plate. To serve, add 4 ounces of potatoes to plate and cover with 5 to 6 ounces of shredded rabbit and a helping of curry sauce. Optional: garnish with freshly minced parsley.