Pot-Roasted Rabbit with Baby Leeks and Pommes Vapeur

Rabbit goes beautifully with leeks and, when the potatoes and butter are good enough, even boiled spuds can be a treat

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Sea salt and black pepper
1 rabbit, jointed
50g unsmoked, diced lardons
450g baby leeks, trimmed weight (or regular leeks)
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
225ml dry cider
3 tablespoons crème crue or crème fraîche
100g unsalted butter, clarified

Pommes vapeur
750g potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces
50g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Method

1. Reserve a tablespoon of the clarified butter in a small frying pan and heat the remainder over a medium-high heat in a flameproof casserole. Season the rabbit joints, add to the casserole and colour. Remove them from the pan, reduce the heat, add the lardons and cook until they begin to colour.
2. If using baby leeks, slice into 5cm lengths. Slice regular leeks into 1cm rings. Add them, with the herbs , to the pan and continue to cook for about 7 minutes until glossy and lightly coloured. Return the rabbit to the pan, pour over the cider, bring to a simmer then cover and cook over a very low heat for 1 hour, turning the rabbit halfway through. At the same time, put a large pan of salted water on to boil and cook the potatoes.
3. Remove the rabbit to a warm dish or bowl, stir the cream or crème fraîche into the pan juices and simmer vigorously for a few minutes until they thicken. Drain the potatoes, add the butter and then toss in the parsley.
4. Heat the reserved clarified butter, slice the rabbit liver and sauté briefly until just firm, then season. Return the rabbit to the sauce, serve with the pommes vapeur.