Venison with Polenta and Red Wine Sauce...(sorry Bambi!)

Last night for dinner, my dad defrosted some venison steaks that were given to him by a patient. I was then given the task to come up with a way to cook them. Very Top Chef. After searching the internet for an hour or two, I found a really delicious recipe: Pan-Seared Venison with Polenta in a Red Wine Sauce. Yum! A really delicious and easy way to enjoy venison! Sorry Bambi...

Ingredients:

- Venison steaks (up to you how many)

- red wine, generous dash

- stock (chicken or vegetable), 1/4 cup

- 1 pre-made polenta round

- shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup

- herbes de provence, to taste

- salt/pepper, to taste
- garlic, minced

For the Cheesy Polenta: 

1. Heat some olive oil in a deep saucepan. Once it is hot, add the polenta. I used a masher to mash it up in the pan. 

2. Once the polenta is soft and has a mashed potato-like consistency, add the cheese and seasonings. Season to taste. 

Viola!

For the Venison Steaks:

1. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.

2. Add a nonstick pan, heat olive oil. Make sure you get the pan piping hot. 

3. Add the steak to the searing hot pan. You don't want to overcook venison, so brown the meat.

To check how cooked the meat is, use this guide:

(taken from Gordon Ramsay)

- if it soft like you cheek: rare

- if its a little soft, but also a bit firm, like your chin: medium 

- if its hard like your forehead: well done

I advise medium.

4. Once the meat is cooked, remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes.

For the Red Wine Sauce: 

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and stock. Let bubble until you get a thick-ish sauce.

BON APPETITE EVERYONE! 

(we also made dad's famous summer salad and sauteed some string beans with shallots)