Wallaby Christmas Roast

Roasted Boneless Wallaby Leg with Spiced cabbage & roasted peaches

Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • For the Wallaby Leg:
  • 1 boneless wallaby leg (approximately 1kg)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon myrtle
  • 1 tbsp ground Tasmanian pepper berries
  • Sea salt
  • Stuffing
  • 500 wallaby g mince
  • 50 smoked 50-100g wallaby, finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 finely chopped onion
  • 10 leaves 10-15 of fresh sage, or 2 tsp dried
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 slices 2-3 of fresh bread, blitzed into crumbs
  • Spiced cabbage: (for the picture I have used a white cabbage)
  • ½ Red or white cabbage head, thinly sliced
  • 3 duck 3-4tbsp fat or olive oil
  • 1 apple, cut into small cubes
  • 1 onion cut into thin slices
  • 1 tbsp ground Tasmanian pepper berries
  • 100 red ml wine like a Shiraz, not a pinot, you want the deep dark colour
  • 100 red ml wine vinegar
  • 100 sugar g
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 50 honey g
  • 4 ripe peaches
  • Sprinkle of white sugar
  • Fresh thyme
Instructions
  1. 1
    1. Prepare the stuffing:
  2. 2
    Mix everything together to make a firm stuffing, fill the leg with as much as you can (about 1/3), the stuffing with bind the roast together when cooking. With the remaining stuffing, make some meatballs and keep for another meal, (great with spaghetti and a tomato sauce)
  3. 3
    2. Prepare the Wallaby for Roasting:
  4. 4
    Coat the stuffed leg with olive oil and cover all around with the spices.
  5. 5
    Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight is great too.
  6. 6
    Season the wallaby leg generously with salt, you can tie the leg with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals to help it maintain a uniform shape during roasting. But the leg will cook up to a nice shape even if you don’t.
  7. 7
    Preheat your oven to 120°C
  8. 8
    3. Cook the Wallaby
  9. 9
    Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it is shimmering.
  10. 10
    Carefully sear the wallaby leg on all sides until nicely browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. This step adds flavour and helps to create a nice crust. Place the seared wallaby leg (in the Dutch oven or transfer to a roasting pan) in the preheated oven. You can add a few vegetables like carrots and onion to fill up the roasting tray if you want.
  11. 11
    Slow roast the wallaby for approximately 4hours, then allow to rest for 30min before slicing.
  12. 12
    You can use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg to check the internal temperature.
  13. 13
    Medium-rare: 54-57°C
  14. 14
    Medium: 57-60°C
  15. 15
    Medium-well: 60-65°C
  16. 16
    Note: Wallaby is best served medium-rare to medium to prevent it from becoming dry.
  17. 17
    4. Carve and Serve:
  18. 18
    Slice the wallaby against the grain and arrange the slices on a serving platter.
  19. 19
    Spoon any pan sauce over the sliced wallaby.
  20. 20
    Arrange the spiced cabbage and roasted peaches next to the wallaby
  21. 21
    For spiced Cabbage
  22. 22
    Heat the duck fat in a large pot and sauté the onion and apples for 2 minutes, add the sliced cabbage and cook until it softened, this will take a few minutes, add the ground pepper berries and stir to coat the cabbage, then add shiraz and reduce this until half has evaporated, add the vinegar and allow to boil for 3-4 minutes, add sugar and salt then simmer for about 20minutes. Taste for a balanced sweet and sour flavour, and adjust accordingly, there will be a kick from the pepper berries. Add the honey at the final stages, this gives the cabbage a nice shine and its final flavour.
  23. 23
    Cut the peaches in half and sprinkle with sugar and fresh thyme leaves,
  24. 24
    Sear in a hot pan to caramelise, if needed place in a hot oven for a few minutes to cook through
Read it online: https://www.lenah.com.au/recipes/wallaby-christmas-roast