Venison Leg Roast With Cranberry And Port Stuffing Recipes

ROAST VENISON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
• Place the venison bones in a large, deep roasting tray. Peel the onion, wash the carrot, then roughly chop with the celery, add to the tray with the flour and toss together.
• Roast for 1 hour, then use tongs to transfer everything to a big pot. Add enough boiling kettle water to the tray to scrape up the sticky goodness from the base, then pour that into the pot with the wine.
• Just cover with boiling water, then simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, skimming the surface and topping up the water occasionally, if needed.
• Carefully remove the bigger bones, then strain the sauce through a coarse sieve into a pan. Simmer on a low heat to the consistency of your liking, then turn the heat off.
• Get your meat out of the fridge and up to room temperature before you cook it.
• Crush the coffee beans and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar until fine, pick and pound in the rosemary leaves, then peel and crush in the garlic to make a rough paste.
• Finely grate in the orange zest and muddle in the balsamic. Cut each venison loin in half to give you four pieces, then rub the paste all over the meat.
• Divide the prosciutto between two large sheets of greaseproof paper, slightly overlapping the slices.
• Place two pieces of venison on top of each other on each one, spooning the meat so the thick and thin ends even each other out. Roll up in the prosciutto, tucking in the ends, tie with string at regular intervals to secure the prosciutto in place, then put on a roasting tray.
• To cook, drizzle the loins with a little oil, then roast in a preheated oven at 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Remove and rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the sauce back up to a simmer, snap in the chocolate, add the butter, and whisk until smooth. Leave for a few minutes, then season to perfection.
• Remove the string from the venison, then carve and serve with the sauce. Delicious with celeriac mash and steamed seasonal greens.

ROAST LEG OF VENISON

Steps:

• Take the venison leg out of the fridge and salt it well on all sides. Let it sit on a cutting board for 30 to 45 minutes before proceeding. After 30 minutes have elapsed, preheat the oven to 450°F. Take a sharp knife with a narrow point and jab holes all over the roast or leg of venison, tucking a sliver of garlic into each hole. You can use more or less garlic, depending on your taste.
• Pat the venison dry, then massage the oil all over it. Set the roast or leg of venison on a rack in a roasting pan and pour enough wine, stock or water into the bottom of the roasting pan to just moisten the bottom -- don't cover the bottom or the meat will steam. You just want to limit the amount of smoke you will be producing. Put the venison in the oven and roast until it is nicely browned, but no more than 20 to 25 minutes.
• Take the venison out of the oven and drop the temperature to 350°F. Carefully sprinkle the minced sage and black pepper all over the roast; use tongs to pick it up if it is too hot. If you want, drizzle a little more oil over the top of the roast. Adding the spices at this point prevents them from burning.
• Set the venison back into the oven and roast until the deepest part of the meat reaches the temperature you want: If you pull the venison at 125°F, it will be rare once it has rested. I pull mine at 130°F, which is closer to medium. Do not let the venison cook past 145°F under any circumstances, or it will get tough and gray. How long will this take? At least 25 more minutes, and up to another hour. Check the temperature after 20 minutes, then every 10 minutes after that. A general rule is about 20 minutes per pound at 350°F.
• When the venison has hit the temperature you want, move it to a cutting board. Don't carve it for at least 10 minutes; I wait a full 20 minutes. Carve and serve.

STUFFED SADDLE OF VENISON WITH PRUNES & BRIOCHE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a shallow pan, then fry the onion, garlic, prunes and bacon until the onion is translucent and the bacon is slightly coloured. Add the brioche and cook until combined and broken down, then add the sage, season and remove from heat.
• Put a sheet of baking parchment on a sheet of foil (both should be larger than your venison). Arrange four pieces of string across the kitchen counter and put the foil and parchment on top - this will help the venison to keep its shape. Lay another four pieces of string across the parchment. Lay the pancetta on top of the paper and string, slightly overlapping the slices so that they cover an area roughly the size of your opened-out venison.
• Lay the venison on top of the pancetta, skin-side down, then spoon the stuffing down the centre, patting it with your hands to make it into a sausage shape.
• Fold in the sides of the venison, along with the pancetta, so they touch or slightly overlap - use the foil and baking parchment to help you. Tie the strings around the venison, making sure that the foil and parchment enclose the meat but stay outside it. Fold in the ends and tie the other pieces of string tightly around the outside of the parcel to hold it in shape.
• Put the venison on a baking sheet or in a roasting tin. Roast for 40-50 mins or until a meat thermometer pushed into the joint reaches 60C, for medium rare meat. Rest for 10 mins, then remove and discard the foil and parchment. Brush the venison all over with butter and return to the oven for a final 10 mins. Leave to rest for 10-15 mins before removing the string and slicing.

ROASTED VENISON WITH FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spread garlic all over venison roast, season with salt and pepper, and place in a roasting pan.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook and stir 1/2 cup onion, cilantro, sage, and basil until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the roast.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups onion, orange juice, and cranberries to the roasting pan; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Continue to roast, basting frequently, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 140 degrees F for medium rare, about 1 hour. Remove the roast from the pan; cover to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
• Pour beef stock into the roasting pan, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Continue boiling until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Skim off any fat; stir in the jelly and sherry. Continue to boil until the sauce is slightly thickened and evenly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

VENISON ROAST

Steps:

• Cut 10 deep slits in roast; place a garlic clove in each slit. Combine the rosemary, 1 teaspoon onion powder, garlic powder and thyme; rub over entire roast. Cover; refrigerate for 2 hours., Add 1/2 in. of water to a roasting pan. Place the roast, carrots and onions in pan. Cover and bake at 325° for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or meat is tender. Remove meat and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm., Strain drippings into a measuring cup. In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups drippings, bouillon, browning sauce and remaining onion powder. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into drippings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with roast.

VENISON LEG ROAST WITH CRANBERRY AND PORT STUFFING

Steps:

• Soak Craisins in Port for a few hours.
• Sautee onion gently until soft and tender, but not coloured.
• Add Craisins and Port. Simmer until Port is reduced and thickened.
• Allow to cool.
• Mix together breadcrumbs, mustard, marjoram, pepper and salt. Add cooled onion and cranberry mixture. Combine well.
• Stuff the meat and roll, securing will with cooking twine.
• Roast in preheated oven 200oC for 15 minutes, then reduce to 180oC for remainder.
• Cooking time will vary depending on size of roast and how well you like you meat done. Mine weighed around 1.2kg once stuffed and took approximately 1 hour after turning the temperature down to 180oC.