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Oven roasted rabbit with garlic recipe.
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Garlic Roasted Rabbit

This is a famous Czech recipe for a rabbit roasted with garlic. Because rabbit meat is very lean, I add slices of pork belly, which adds juiciness and the perfect flavor to the dish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Czech
Keyword Meat recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 592kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 rabbit whole; weight around 5-6.5 lbs (2.5-3 kg)
  • 1 pound pork belly (450 g) somewhat leaner, without skin and bones
  • 1 onion large
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • ½ Tablespoon salt
  • ½ cup water (120 ml)

Instructions

  • Clean the rabbit of any remaining hair, rinse with water and pat dry. Peel the onion and cut it into rings. Peel and press the garlic. Cut the pork belly into pieces about 1 and ½ inches (3-4 cm) thick.
  • Salt the pork belly. Rub the rabbit on all sides with garlic and salt.
  • Place the pieces of pork belly in the baking dish, then put the onions on top. Place the rabbit on the prepared base. Pour about ½ to ¾ cup (120-180 ml) of water over the rabbit.
  • Cover with a lid and cook.
  • How long to roast a rabbit? Roast the rabbit in an oven preheated to 340 °F (170 °C). After an hour, remove the lid. Bake for another 60-90 minutes until the water you've basted the roast with has evaporated. The rabbit will begin to roast (not stew). During this time, check that the meat does not overcook and baste it with the juices every 10-15 minutes. After two to two and a half hours, the rabbit and pork belly are done.

Notes

  • SERVING: Potato dumplings and sautéed spinach go well with this rabbit roast. Arrange 4-6 dumplings per serving around the perimeter of the plate, add rabbit and pork. Top the dumplings with the onion and juices. Finally, add a scoop of sautéed spinach.
  • Rabbit meat is lean and does not contain much fat so the roast may be dry. Therefore, a combination of roast rabbit with pork belly is very suitable. This method is how my granny roasted a rabbit, and I have to say that the rabbit and pork belly in her rendition was absolutely delicious.
  • If you're going to bake the rabbit without the pork fat, it's a good idea to add pork lard to the roasting pan.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 691mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 6mg