Wonderful Deer Roast with Real Gratin and Red Wine Sauce

The dark meat of the deer

This is a dish I did recently! As often before our lovely neighbors, Ulrika and Gustav Brogren, gave us the wild game. This time we were so lucky to acquire some wild deer that Gustav had shot on their land in the Swedish Smålands. They keep us well fed with wild game, last time I received this wonderful inner thigh muscle of deer, some ground moose and ground wild boar. There are some feists on the horizon!

The Swedish asparagus has arrived in the stores. Skåne is known for its green asparagus that is widely grown in the region. And it has been an early summer treat since the seventeenth century. Before that it was a sparse delicatessen that was plucked wild on the eastern shores of Skåne. This local vegetable is quite delicious - it can be found in the stores and also on bicycle rides along the countryside, were you come across small stands were local produce is sold. It can't get any fresher!

Local asparagus

Wonderful Deer Roast with Real Gratin and Red Wine Sauce

This kind of food is simply great. It is actually just a question of combining quality ingredients. And if you have a meat thermometer close at hand, you are bound to get it right

First fried and sealed in some butter!

I generously seasoned the meat with salt and pepper, melted a knob of butter on a pan and browned on the outside.

Then placed in an ovenproof dish

Next, I transferred the meat to an ovenproof dish. Scattered a few sprigs of thyme and then placed into a preheated oven - 130 degrees Celsius. I had put a thermometer in the meat, and when the core temperature read 60 degrees, I removed the meat from the oven.

This must be the most sexy gratin in the world... sizzling away in the oven

As promised in the title of the blog, this is "real" gratin, and real gratin is simple to make. Peeled a few potatoes and passed them through the food processor in order to produce equally thin slices. Butter the inside of an ovenproof dish and layer the potato slices in a semi-orderly way into the dish. I placed a little bit of sliced garlic and onion in between layers. I then poured 300 ml of cream and grated a pinch of fresh nutmeg into the dish. Last but not least, I grated a rich amount pungent cheddar cheese over the lot!

The meat was sliced down thinly

The meat rested under a blanket of aluminum foil for about 15 minutes before it was cut into rather thin slices.

OMG!

The gratin was appetizing to say the least when it came out of the oven, oozing and bubbling - there is something wonderful about sinking the spoon into the gratin and watch as the steam rises and you can smell the aroma of the nutmeg which accompanies.

With the food I made a simple red wine sauce. The idea for this sauce is derived from the Swedish restaurateur and TV chef Leif Mannerström. He was also a judge on a popular TV program - Svensk Mästarkock – where Swedish amateur chefs compete to become celebrity chefs. In one of the episodes the task, among others, was to dream up a red wine sauce. Almost all of the competitors made the sauce from his recipe - which is probably alright - but I made slight alteration, mostly regarding quantities. Icelanders don't like to be indulgent when it comes to sauce and then some! I poured half a liter of red wine into a pot and added finely chopped red onion, 3 bay leaves, few sprigs of fresh thyme and then salt and pepper. I allowed the sauce to reduce by 2/3 and then poured it into another pot through a sieve and added half a liter of home made beef stock (cubes will also do just fine). Once it boils turn down the heat and thicken with roux. In order to balance the sauce you have to season to taste and even sweeten it with a pinch of raspberry jam

Cooking the asparagus is of course also easy. Simply grill it on a blazing hot pan and grate fresh parmesan cheese over once it is done. Simple, no?

Gigondas from E. Guigal

With the wine we drank red wine from France. This is not the first time that we try wine from this producer. I recently tasted Gigondas from E. Guigal which is very tasty. This time, I had Cotes du Rhone from 2007. The wine is mainly produced from Shyraz grapes (60%) and then also Grenache and Mourvedre. The wine is dark red in the glass. Aroma of berries, spiced. Good filling with tick fruit and spice - even peppery. Good balance and aftertaste.

Try this dish!

Bon appetit!

P.s. For those of you who are interested to follow my kitchen adventures - you are welcome to join me on Facebook - The Doctor in the Kitchen!