Pan-Roasted Venison with Tangerine-Roasted Jalapeno Sauce and Potato Sage Gratin

This is the next recipe I wanted to try. And it is good. Probably a 4-star good. And I'd tweak it as I explain later. But it is fabulous and would work just as well with beef if you didn't have wild game.

Pan-Roasted Venison with Tangerine-Roasted Jalapeno Sauce
Bobby Flay says: The venison we serve at Mesa Grill is farm-raised and never gamy. It’s also incredibly lean, so we serve it medium-rare and the meat is never dry. I love to pair it with a sweet and spicy sauce such as this one. Tangerine juice is a great choice here because of its bright and slightly tart flavor. Serve this dish with Potato, Sweet Onion, and Sage Gratin.

1 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. white vinegar
2 c. sugar
1 c. thawed tangerine juice concentrate (which I couldn’t find, so I just squeezed some tangerines)
¼ c. olive oil
1 small red onion, finely diced
4 jalapeño chiles, roasted , seeded, and chopped
6 c. chicken stock
4 (8 oz.) venison steaks – elk, deer, antelope, moose, buffalo – whatever
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the red and white vinegars and the sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to melt the sugar.

Whisk in the tangerine juice

and boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and reduced by half, 10-15 minutes.

(just this alone was scrumptious)

Getting the jalapenos ready

Heat 2 tbs. of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapenos

and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Raise heat to high, add 1 c. chicken stock, cook until reduced to ¼ cup.

Add the rest of the stock, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups, 20-25 minutes.

Whisk the tangerine mixture into the onion mixture and reduce to a sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, 15-20 minutes. Do not, I repeat, do NOT try to speed up the process and add any salt while this is reducing unless you are conducting a science experiment. It executes a very fast and violent boiling over. Exciting to watch if you’re into volcanoes, but not exciting to clean off the stove.

To go on: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

While the sauce is reducing, heat the remaining 2 tbs. oil in a large oven-proof sauté pan over high heat. Season the venison on both sides with salt and pepper.

Add the venison to the pan and cook until golden brown and a crust has formed, 3-4 minutes.

Turn over,

place the pan in the oven, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes for medium- rare. The meat will be red in the center.

Strain the sauce into a small saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Yes, this is really the best idea. Do the salt NOW. Drizzle the steaks with the sauce.

Kim here: We thought this was delicious, but I still found the meat a bit dry and maybe a bit chewy. We did this with a young cow elk, which is fairly tender, but not farm-raised like Mesa Grill uses. So this is what I’ll do next time: I’ll keep the meat in a chunk instead of slicing it into steaks. I’ll make the sauce the day before, then divide it in half. I’ll marinate the meat in one half of the sauce, grill the meat until it’s 135 or 140 degrees by a meat thermometer. Then I’ll slice it thin and pour the other half of the sauce (after I’ve heated it) over the meat. I think this will keep the meat moist and tender.

But it is delicious – a very nice combination of flavors and not spicy hot at all. And I served it with:

Potato, Sweet Onion, and Sage Gratin
Bobby Flay says: This gratin has an incredible warming quality, making it a perfect autumn and winter side dish for any roasted meat.

And I say: Oh, this is yummy! And filling. You’ll note all the cream. So I cut the recipe in half and it still made a lot because you don’t need a very big serving. I have the original portions here though. And it’s yummy!

2 tbs. unsalted butter, plus extra to grease the pan
2 tbs. olive oil
4 large sweet onions (Vidalia or Walla Walla – that’s fun to type), halved and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbs. finely chopped fresh sage
4 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8” thick
2 c. heavy cream (or use 1 c. cream and 1 c. fat-free half and half)

Butter a 9” baking dish and set aside. (Note: I think this would be a little small for the entire recipe. I cut the recipe in half and it nearly filled a 9” dish. But a 9x13” would probably be too big. So use what you want.)

Heat the oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook,

stirring every 5 minutes, until soft and caramelized, 30-35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sage.

Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish,

top with a seventh of the onion mixture and about 3 tbs. of the cream, and season with a bit of salt and pepper (I put 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl, then tried to make it last for the entire layering process. That way I didn’t use too much salt).

Repeat to make 7 or 8 layers (I had 4 layers with half the recipe).

Press on the gratin to submerge the potatoes in the cream mixture.

Place the dish on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove the foil and continue baking for 30-45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the top is golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

This can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Reheat in the oven before serving.

This went beautifully with the Pan-Roasted Venison with Tangerine-roasted Jalapeno Sauce, and would go with any roasted meat. Fabulous!

Also, this is a typical winter salad for us: some baby spinach, some chopped fresh red pepper, usually some chopped fresh broccoli, a few pecans, and a sprinkle of either feta or blue cheese. Then a light vinagrette dressing. Good and good for you!

Have fun with this combination - it was wonderful!