Recipe: Date Night Venison Steak

Camera — Even the dog is licking its lips for this one.

There’s something universal about steak and potatoes. Somehow, deep inside our human brains is the deep desire to have a starchy veg and a chunk of wild meat. I know that from personal experience. Once upon a time, my sister gave me a grilled venison backstrap, which was given to her by a friend who hunted. That was my gateway drug into chasing deer. And way on down the road, it led to this recipe: date night venison steak.

Of course, I seasoned it, cooked it over a fire to medium-rare. We proceeded to eat it all pretty quickly. Even the older gentlemen camping next to us who said he didn’t really like venison came back for thirds. So, if you’re trying to impress someone, show them you care or just pamper yourself after a long hunt. This recipe is not only simple but exceptionally tasty.

Recipe: Quick Deer Chili

Recently, while filming, we were at my buddy’s place north of town. Morel season had started, so there’s a few small morels on the plate. Why wouldn’t we eat them with a venison steak?

The style of potato I’m going with is basic, but super-deep in flavor. These yellow potatoes are excellent sliced thin, salted, and with a ½ stick of butter drizzled over with fresh thyme sprigs tossed on top. For an added punch, place the thyme in the butter as it melts to infuse it with some extra flavor.

Recipe: Moroccan Venison Hot Pockets

While doing everything else, toss the potatoes in the oven for an hour. The potatoes will brown up in a pool of butter and come out like nothing else in this world. If you have access, I highly suggest a nicer butter. A good American made brand is Plugra, but any grass-fed cultured butter will bring another layer to this.

When it comes to venison steak, I’m a huge fan of cooking a bit slower and not worrying too much about a crust. Being a lean cut, there’s no fat to caramelize, and higher heat can be a bit harder to control. So, take it easy on medium and stop when the steak hits 100-105 degrees.

Recipe: Venison Steak and Eggs

Immediately after pulling the steak, wrap it in foil, and the rest of the time will finish that steak to perfection. However, if you’ve already gone over 110 degrees, don’t cover it to finish. Let it sit for 10 minutes in the open so that it doesn’t keep cooking quite as much. Remember, your steak keeps rising in temp after cooking, so you always want to stop cooking under your desired final finish.

Lastly, I serve this up with the slices of potato, crushed herbs on top. Top off the steak and morels with the butter from the potatoes drizzled over it all. This is a simple yet luxurious meal when executed right.

Recipe: Venison Sausage Toast

INGREDIENTS

16-20 oz steaks
3 golden potatoes
½ stick butter
Fresh thyme
Salt
Pepper
Morels or other wild, edible mushrooms (if in season)

DETAILED STEPS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Slice golden potatoes (salt liberally).
Layer in small baking pan or cast iron in rows.
Melt butter and toss in the thyme.
Drizzle evenly over salted potatoes.
Cook potatoes for 1 hour at 325 degrees.
A half-hour into cooking the potatoes, sear steaks on all sides to the desired finish.
Rest the meat for 10 minutes in foil.
Cook morels in steak juices and butter with a little salt while the steak rests.
Remove the potatoes from the butter.
Spoon butter from potatoes over the potatoes and steak (when plated).
Garnish meat with salt, pepper, and the crispy thyme from the cooked potatoes.