Venison 2 Ways with Spinach, Parsnip Puree & Blueberry Sauce

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Low in fat and high in flavour, venison is a winner wherever you are, so next time you get lucky and find yourself with a venison surplus – have a go at this delicious, impressive yet quick-to-prepare nosh-up!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2 - 4

Ingredients

400g venison medallions
1 tbsp thyme leaves, picked
5 juniper berries
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
1 tsp thyme leaves, picked (extra for garnish)
125ml red wine
125ml beef stock
100g blueberries
2 knob butter
500g fresh spinach leaves
1 knob butter
pinch nutmeg

1 venison sausage (casing discarded)
1 pork sausage
dried blueberries
pinch chilli flakes
fresh thyme leaves
2 cooked chestnuts, crushed

Instructions

Take medallions, dry them really well with some kitchen paper and pop on a plate.

Place the first measure of thyme and juniper berries with a grind of salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar and give a good bash.

Pour in a tbsp olive oil to loosen, scrape out with a spoon and massage into the venison. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Pour a couple of tbsp oil in a frying pan, when very hot, sear the medallions on all side for 5 – 6 minutes for medium rare.

When cooked to your liking, remove from the pan, place on a plate to rest and cover with some foil.

Take the sausages and pull the meat from the casing (discard the casing), mix together with the chestnuts, blueberries, chilli and thyme leaves. Dust your hands with flour and flatten in between your hands until really flat and in the same pan, cook the patty until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Reduce the heat under the pan (you may need another glug of oil), sprinkle in the shallots and thyme and cook until soft and fragrant. Increase the heat, add the wine and cook for 1 – 2 minutes then pour in the beef stock, bring to a boil and reduce by half.

Taste and season. Add the blueberries simmer for a further minute. Remove sauce from the heat pop in the butter and give your pan a good shake until the butter has melted and your sauce has a gorgeous shine.

Pop the butter in a large saucepan, when bubbling add the nutmeg, spinach a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Pop the top on and cook until just wilted. Remove from heat until ready to serve

Add any resting juices to the sauce. Slice your meat, place on top of the parsnip puree*and vegetables, drizzle with sauce, sprinkle on the thyme and enjoy.

*Parsnip Puree recipe also online under ‘Sides’ category