Sautéed Venison Steaks

Ingredients

• Four 6- to 7-ounce venison steaks from the loin or leg
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Hide ingredients for 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, bacon drippings, or Clarified Butter 1 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, bacon drippings, or Clarified Butter (opens in new tab) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, bacon drippings, or Clarified Butter
  • 1 pound butter

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Melt in a saucepan over low heat: 1 pound butter
  2. Once melted, do not stir. Skim off any foam that comes to the surface.
  3. For clarified butter, remove from the heat after the foaming ceases. Let stand a few minutes, allowing the milk solids to settle to the bottom. Carefully pour the liquid into a heatproof container, leaving the solids behind, or pour through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter or flour sack towel.
  4. For ghee, continue heating the butter over the lowest heat possible, keeping it below a simmer until golden and brown milk solids have settled at the bottom of the pan. This can take up to 1 hour. At this slow rate, the milk solids settle nicely. Pour or strain into a container as for clarified butter.
  5. Both can be stored in an airtight container for 6 to 8 months in the refrigerator. When chilled, clarified butter and ghee become grainy. They should not be used as a spread, only in cooking.
• Hide ingredients for (Herb Pan Sauce, Wine and Sour Cherry Pan Sauce, or the pan sauce for Steak Diane or Steak au Poivre) 1 (Herb Pan Sauce, Wine and Sour Cherry Pan Sauce, or the pan sauce for Steak Diane or Steak au Poivre) (opens in new tab) (Herb Pan Sauce, Wine and Sour Cherry Pan Sauce, or the pan sauce for Steak Diane or Steak au Poivre)
  • ½ cup minced onion or shallot
  • ⅔ cup dry white or red wine, hard cider, or chicken stock or broth
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or Cognac, or to taste
  • (4 teaspoons Dijon mustard)
  • (1 bay leaf)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • (½ cup heavy cream)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons minced herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme, or a combination
  • Minced fresh herbs

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. After pan-frying steaks, lamb chops, pork chops, or chicken pieces, transfer them to a platter and keep warm. Pour off most of the excess fat and set the pan over medium heat. Add: ½ cup minced onion or shallot
  2. Cook, stirring, until softened but not browned. Increase the heat to medium-high and add: ⅔ cup dry white or red wine, hard cider, or chicken stock or broth
  3. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen and dissolve any browned bits, then bring to a boil and add: 1 tablespoon lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or Cognac, or to taste; (4 teaspoons Dijon mustard); (1 bay leaf); Salt and black pepper to taste
  4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. If desired, add and cook until reduced by about half, 1 to 2 minutes: (½ cup heavy cream)
  5. Take off the heat and swirl in bit by bit: 1 ½ teaspoons butter
  6. Remove the bay leaf, if used, or, for a perfectly smooth sauce, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in: 2 tablespoons minced herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme, or a combination
  7. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with: Minced fresh herbs
• Hide ingredients for (Chimichurri) 1 (Chimichurri) (opens in new tab) (Chimichurri)
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped onion, shallot, or green onion
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • (1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano)
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • Salt to taste

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Whisk together thoroughly in a small bowl: ½ cup olive oil; ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  2. Stir in: ⅓ cup finely chopped onion, shallot, or green onion; ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; (1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano); ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste; ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste; Salt to taste
  3. Cover and let stand for 2 hours to allow the flavors to develop. The sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.
• (Flavored butter)