Ingredients
Serves 2:

• 1 whole wild rabbit
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 leaf of wild garlic
• ½ onion
• 1 potato
• 40g butter
• 1 small butternut squash
• 3 slices black combe ham
• 200g curly kale
• 6 small wild garlic leaves
• 6 wild garlic flowers
• 100ml rabbit stock

Instructions:
Prepare the rabbit so you have 2 cleaned racks, 2 boned hind legs, the liver and the kidneys.
Place the cleaned racks, liver and kidney in a fridge for later.

To make the hotpot. Remove any sinew from the rabbit legs. Finely dice the meat and put in a bowl.
Add chopped thyme, chopped wild garlic, 1 shredded slice of black combe ham, finely diced onion and season.
Mix together then press into 2 metal rings (about 2.5- 3cm diameter) placed on a tray lined with parchment paper, to about ¾ full.
Peel the potato and using a small metal cutter, cut out about 4 cylinders.
Slice very thinly on a mandolin and arrange neatly in the metal ring so that there is 2 layers of potato covering the meat.
Brush with 25g melted butter and season.
Cook at 150ºC for about 50 minutes until the potato is golden brown.

To make the butternut squash puree. Peel the squash and remove the seeds and stringy part. Cut into small chunks and put into a steamer tray and steam for about 15 minutes until soft. Put into a blender with 15g butter and season. Let down with hot water if it is too thick. Pass through a sieve into a pan.

Lay 2 slices of black combe ham between two sheets of parchment paper and press between two flat trays. Cook at 180ºC for 10 minutes until golden and crisp.

Tear the curly kale from the stems, into small leaves.

Gently wash the wild garlic leaves and pat dry. Drop into a deep fat fryer for about 20 seconds until crisp, then drain on a cloth.

Gently wash the wild garlic flowers.

To serve.
Season and seal the racks on all sides and roast for about 1-2 minutes in an oven, and leave to rest for 2 minutes.
Warm through the butternut squash puree and the rabbit sauce.
Place the ham crisps under the hotplate lights to warm through.
Heat a frying pan and add a little oil. Season the liver and kidneys and add to the pan. Add 10g butter. Cook on each side for about 30 seconds until cooked.
Cook the curly kale in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, drain and glaze with melted butter and season.
Arrange the puree, hotpot, rack, liver, kidney, curly kale and ham crisp on two plates.
Spoon the rabbit sauce around, and garnish with 3 wild garlic crisps and 3 wild garlic flowers on each plate.

Dish created by Andrew Postlethwaite from Castle Green Hotel Kendal. Andrew cooked this dish during the Cumbria Heat of the North West Young Chef Competition on 30th March 2010.