Cooking Method
- Bring steaks to room temperature and preheat oven to 180°C.
- Dab steaks dry with a paper towel, then brush with oil and season generously with salt.
- Heat an oven proof frying pan on high and sear each side of the steak until well caramelised and cook to desired doneness (we advise medium rare).
- Remove pan from the heat and add butter pucks (if desired). Baste (pour butter over steak with a spoon) 3 or 4 times to coat the steaks.
- Remove steaks from the pan and rest on a chopping board for at least 3 minutes. Reserve remaining butter to drizzle over steak when serving.
Beetroot relish
- Peel entire beetroot into short ribbons using a potato peeler (or grate instead)
- Gently heat olive oil in a pot on low heat and sauté the garlic until fragrant
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer (with lid off) for approximately 40 minutes, or until the beetroot is soft and glossy and the wine has reduced to almost nothing.
- Season with salt and pepper if required. This relish will store in the fridge for up to a week.
Mushrooms
- Preheat oven to 180°C and place mushrooms top down on an oven tray.
- Mix the butter and chopped garlic, spread mixture evenly over the mushroom gills.
- Strip leaves off the thyme and sprinkle over the mushrooms, then season with salt and pepper
- Bake mushrooms for 15-20 minutes or until they are slightly shrivelled.
- Serve venison sliced across the grain with mushrooms, a good dollop of beetroot relish and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts.
Tips
Venison is best served rare-medium rare. If you have a meat thermometer, this equates to an internal temperature of 55-57°C (target slightly under this to allow a little further cooking while basting).