Mustard Roasted Venison with Mushrooms

By on February 15, 2012 in Fall, Game, Low Carb and Low Glycemic, Main Dishes
I recently made a quick trip to Indiana to visit my folks, and on the flight back I was fortunate to have a well-wrapped venison loin tucked into my carry on.  Wild game is one of the things I both love and feel good about eating, and this gift was courtesy of my brother Vince.  Like pastured, organic meat, wild game is quite lean and so it should either be cooked quickly and served rare, or braised for a long period of time to break down the fibers.  With this beautiful piece of completely lean meat I opted for a quick pan-sear followed by a high-heat roast, with the resulting rare and tender finish.

The technique for this is really simple, but you do need an oven-safe skillet or small roasting pan.  You start the meat on your stove top to brown off the sides, and then place the skillet directly into a hot oven for a quick roast.  Do not try to do this with a nonstick skillet!  For the sear you can use olive or vegetable oil, but I used duck fat.  Yes, duck fat.  We roasted a whole local duck a while back, and duck fat is about the most flavor-packed fat you can have around.  Use whatever you like or have on hand if you don’t happen to have a jar of duck fat hanging around.

Mustard Roasted Venison with Mushrooms
1 venison loin, about one and half pounds
2 tablespoons duck fat or preferred oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and halved
salt and black pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Pat the venison to remove excess moisture so you will get a good sear.

Heat the duck fat or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the loin and let it brown on each side, turning with tongs until you have good color all over.  Remove from heat, and stir the mushrooms into the duck fat.  Sprinkle all with salt and pepper, and spread the mustard over the top and sides of the venison loin.

Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes for rare.  Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for ten minutes before slicing and serving with the mushrooms.

For the mustard coating I used Saucy Mama Dijon, and I will have a giveaway of their products (as well as another great recipe) coming up soon–stay tuned!

Thanks for reading,

Angela

 

, ,

8 Responses to Mustard Roasted Venison with Mushrooms

  1. Karen Harris February 16, 2012 at 12:05 am #

    What a gorgeous recipe. I'm doing the Saucy Mama contest this year too. I can't wait to see your next recipe.

    Reply
  2. The Mom Chef February 16, 2012 at 1:06 pm #

    Oh my, that looks amazing. I love my meat rare (Hubby always says I just need to tell the servers to lop off the horns and walk it through a warm room) so this is absolutely perfect for me. I love the preparation you used and look forward to hearing more about the mustard.

    Reply
  3. Eric B. February 16, 2012 at 1:06 pm #

    YUM!

    Reply
  4. Steven Merkel February 16, 2012 at 7:00 pm #

    I need therapy now. I just shorted my keyboard with drool. I can't stop staring.

    Reply
  5. Angela February 17, 2012 at 1:15 am #

    Yay! It's a fun one, I think–will look forward to seeing your recipe.

    Reply
  6. Angela February 17, 2012 at 1:16 am #

    Ha! That's kind of my philosophy, too–I do not understand people who like overcooked meat.

    Reply
  7. Angela February 17, 2012 at 1:16 am #

    :)

    Reply
  8. Angela February 17, 2012 at 1:17 am #

    Bibs!!! This is why they make bibs. And therapists.

    Reply

Leave a Reply