Deer Devils - Ground Venison with a Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce

Another tasty deer recipe that stemmed from a recipe that usually includes sweet Italian sausage. It's super simple, full of flavor and makes awesome leftovers. 

Meat Sauce:

1 lb. Ground Venison

1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup crushed fire roasted tomatoes
3 tablespoons vodka
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh basil leaves
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish
Sprig fresh basil, for garnish

 In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the venison and cook, stirring, until browned and all pink has disappeared, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the vodka and cook until the sauce reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.

Toss the sauce with the pasta to coat evenly and transfer to a pasta bowl for serving. Top with cheese and sprig of basil and serve immediately.

 

I prefer whole grain pasta, and in this case used spaghetti. We also caught a sale on pre-mixed salads and this one included some of our favorites... Arugula, cabbage, kale, etc. needless to say it was a light side we needed :)

Enjoy!

Deer Devils - Grilled Venison Loin with Horseradish Cream Sauce

Deer devils...self-titled name for a current challenge Matt and I are embarking on. After a hunt in Alabama over the holidays the freezer was, and is, completely packed with venison. It's a lean meet with lots of flavor that we are trying to incorporate into our diets once a week. I have personally had my fill of deer spaghetti growing up and wanted to get somewhat creative with the tenderloins and ground meat we have. This recipe was one of the first attempts...and it was amazing!

 

The Meat

1 1/2 lbs. venison loin

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp mixed herbs of choice (dried or fresh)

Sea salt, fresh ground pepper 

The Sauce

1 c. Plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. horseradish

2 tsp. fresh parsley 

1 lemon - juice & zest

Sea salt to taste

Season meat and let sit for at least an hour, if not overnight. Grill the meat, without moving it, until nicely browned, 5-7 minutes. Then rotate the venison 90° and leave it for just a minute to make grill marks. Flip the loin and cook for 5-7 minutes more, again rotating the venison if desired. You want to aim for a good, deeply charred outside but a nice and rare inside. This ought to happen after just 12 minutes total cooking. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes while you make the sauce. 

Mix all sauce ingredients well. 

Thinly slice the loin against the grain, pile it onto plates or a platter, and serve with the horseradish cream sauce.

 

Chickpea & Kale salad with lemon juice, Parmesan, garlic, evoo