Roast Loin of Venison with Savory Wine Sauce
Submitted by sharona
Roast venison loin marinated 24 hours in olive oil and aromatics, seared in clarified butter, and served with a savory wine sauce made from the bones, port, sherry vinegar, and currant jelly.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
1 daysCOOK
2 hrsREADY
1 daysThis is a special-occasion dish that rewards patience at every stage.
Venison loin marinates for a full 24 hours in olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. That long soak tenderizes the lean meat and builds layers of flavor deep into each slice.
The sauce is built separately from the reserved bones. They get chopped, browned hard in butter, then simmered with shallots, garlic, tomatoes, port wine, sherry vinegar, reduced beef stock, and currant jelly. An hour of gentle simmering pulls every bit of richness from those bones into a concentrated, glossy sauce that balances sweet, tart, and savory.
The venison itself cooks fast. A hard sear in clarified butter, then into a hot oven for just 5 to 7 minutes. Medium-rare is the goal. Overcooked venison turns dry and livery, so pull it early and trust the resting time.
Slice against the grain and fan over a pool of that reheated wine sauce.
Chef Tips
- Pat the venison completely dry after removing from the marinade. Wet meat steams instead of searing.
- Use clarified butter for the sear. Regular butter burns at the high heat you need. Clarified butter can handle it.
- Reduce the stock by half before building the sauce. This concentrates the base and gives the finished sauce body without needing flour or cornstarch.
- Both the sauce and the marinated venison can be prepped a day ahead. This makes the actual cooking on serving day quick and manageable.
Variations
- Substitute elk or bison loin if venison isn’t available. Both are lean and respond well to this same technique.
- Replace currant jelly with lingonberry preserves for a Scandinavian twist that pairs naturally with game.
Ingredients
Directions
Make a marinade of the first 7 ingredients.
Bone the loin; trim and discard fat and sinew.
With a cleaver chop the bone into 1inch pieces and reserve for the sauce. Slice loin against the grain into 6 pieces.
Arrange in a single layer in a casserole dish. Pour over the marinade, cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Meanwhile prepare the sauce.
Bring stock to a boil, reduce heat and cook uncovered until volume reduced by ½.
Set aside. Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat.
Add bones; brown quickly, stirring often. Add shallots, garlic and thyme, cooking until soft and lightly colored. Add tomato; cook several more minutes. Add wines and vinegar, bring to a boil and reduce by half.
Add stock and currant jelly. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour, skimming as necessary.
Remove from heat, strain and return to clean pan. Salt and pepper.
Refrigerate until needed and reheat before serving.
To cook the venison, remove from marinade, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté in clarified butter, searing all sides quickly. Transfer pan to preheated 400 deg oven for 5 to 7 minutes until medium rare. Slice each piece against the grain into 3 to 4 pieces and serve with the reheated sauce.
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