Reindeer Tenderloin with Juniper Butter

Ingredients

• 600 g Pokka Reindeer Tenderloin
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 20 g butter, for basting
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 75 g soft butter, for the juniper butter
• 1 tsp dried juniper berries
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt
• 800 g baby potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. If the tenderloin is frozen, thaw it in the fridge overnight. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, pat it dry and trim off any silvery membrane.
2. Heat the oven to 200 °C. Halve the potatoes, toss them with the olive oil, a little salt and 2 thyme sprigs on a baking tray and roast for 30–35 minutes, until golden.
3. Crush the juniper berries finely in a mortar. Mix them into the soft butter with the leaves from 1 thyme sprig and the flaky salt. Roll the butter into a log in cling film and chill until serving.
4. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat and sear the meat until browned all over, 3–4 minutes.
5. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter for basting and the last thyme sprig and spoon the foaming butter over the meat, turning it, until the core temperature reaches 52–54 °C for medium-rare (58 °C for medium). This takes 3–6 minutes, depending on thickness; a meat thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
6. Lift the meat onto a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5–10 minutes; the temperature rises by a couple of degrees as it rests.
7. Slice the tenderloin and serve with the potatoes and a slice of juniper butter on top of the meat.