Take the venison steaks out of the refrigerator 1 hour in advance so that they can come to room temperature. Peel the potatoes and cut into thin, equal slices. Clean and finely chop the onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Mix the onion and garlic with the potato slices, cream (unsweetened cooking) and season with salt, ground pepper and the grated cheese of your choice. Pour the mixture into an oven dish/cast iron pan and press down well.

Fire up The Bastard to approximately 160 °C. Bake the potato gratin for about 40 minutes on the plate setter.

In the meantime, clean the aniseed mushrooms with a paper towel and put them in a cast iron pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake them at 180 °C for about 10 minutes, until they are beautifully golden brown.

Drizzle the venison steaks with olive oil and rosemary, thyme, sea salt and black ground pepper. Increase The Bastard to 200 °C and sear the steaks, turning them over. Place them in a place with the heat shield underneath and a core thermometer set to 52 °C. Let them rest for 5 minutes under aluminium foil before cutting them.

Lay a baking sheet on the underside of a cast-iron pan and the Parma ham on top, then another baking sheet and something heavy (that can withstand heat). Heat the barbecue to 200 °C and fry the ham for about 12 minutes. Then let it drain on kitchen paper.

Wine pairing: Roero Arneis, Vietti, Piedmont, Italy