Veal in a Caper sauce with Thyme Roast New potatoes and Water Cress

Don’t you just love it when you go to a new foodie heaven and find great ingredients. Veal is incredibly difficult to find, but at this new location (Jimmy’s farm if you know it), I find British Veal galore! This dinner is the best of British; Suffolk Veal, Kent New potatoes and Watercress from Hampshire (don’t ask where the Capers are from ;-).

Veal in Caper sauce with Thyme roast New Potatoes and Watercress

This dish takes no time at all to cook, even the roast New Potatoes are started in the pan, and finished in the oven, so get the plates warm oven on (200 degree’s) and lets begin.

New Potatoes 600g
Rapeseed Oil
Bunch of Fresh Thyme

Get the New Potatoes in a Saucepan of boiling salted water, part cook the potatoes for 5 – 7  minutes until you can just start to push a fork into them.

In an oven proof frying pan, get some Rapeseed heating up. When hot, toss in the Potatoes with plenty of fresh Thyme. Fry the Potatoes until they just start to take colour, add your Salt and Pepper, toss and then place in the oven whilst you complete your Veal.

For the Veal and Caper Sauce:

Veal (700g of Rolled Rib, cut in two and re-tied, Escalope or Chops will work great too)
Sprig of Rosemary
Tbsp Chopped Thyme
Glass of White Wine
Tbsp Butter
Rapeseed Oil
2 Tbsp Capers
3 Tbsp Crème Fraiche

Take the Veal (I had to tie mine up as I was using a rolled rib). Season generously on both sides and fry the Veal on a high heat, whilst using a spoon to coat the rest of the meat in hot oil and butter. When colour has been achieved turn the Veal and repeat. My Veal portions were so greedy and huge (partly due to an over eager butcher and a certain individual who can’t say no when faced with the question… Is that too big?), that they took 10 minutes to cook (and it was still rare). Cook the meat on all sides and then test to see if it’s cooked (Veal takes very little time to cook, ask your butcher). Once cooked, set aside on a warm plate, cover in tin foil and keep warm.

The pan that you used to cook the Veal in is flavour waiting to happen. Pour off the excess fat and in the pour a glass of white wine, add a spring of Rosemary and the chopped Thyme. Turn up the heat and reduce the wine by half scraping the bottom of the pan whilst you go. Once the sauce has reduced, add the Crème Fraiche and any Veal juice that will have collected on still warm Veal plate. Season the sauce well with Salt and Pepper and taste.. It should be lovely.

By now the potatoes should have crisped up (10-12 mins in the oven). Place them on the plate, follow up with your Veal, then add a pile of Watercress. Dress the Watercress in a little Rapeseed Oil, a little pinch of salt and then sauce the Veal.

The sauce has a lovely piquancy that balances beautifully against the Veal. The crispy Thyme roasted New potatoes are great and the Watercress just adds a peppery freshness that is just right! You must try it.