Gaelic Venison Steak

Gaelic steak is one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite dishes. While beef tenderloin is the likely meat served at Buckingham Palace, venison loin is the protein of choice when the Royal Family resides at Balmoral. It’s a fairly simple dish consisting of red meat and a sauce of mushrooms, cream and Irish whisky. It’s usually served with mashed potatoes, but when the family is up north, the vegetable garden at Balmoral provides plenty of fresh produce, including parsnips. So, I made a mash of potatoes and parsnips. 

Fun fact: The Queen hates garlic, so the royal chef usually leaves it out.

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of venison loin
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- 1/2 pound of peeled parsnips
- 1/2 pound of peeled starchy potatoes
- 3 tablespoons of butter, separated
- About 1½ cups of heavy whipping cream, separated
- 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, your choice
- Quarter of an onion, chopped
- 1 ounce of Irish whisky 

Directions:

1. Take meat out of the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking. Cut into 2-inch-thick medallions and season with salt.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Cut parsnips and potatoes into cubes — the parsnips will take longer to soften, so cut them smaller. Place in a saucepan, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer until softened, about 30 minutes. Keep warm in the water until you're ready to prepare the rest of it.

3. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan. Pat venison medallions completely dry with paper towels, and salt again if desired. When butter and oil gets hot, brown meat on both sides for a good crust. Transfer venison to a cool rimmed cookie sheet and sprinkle cracked pepper on both sides. Roast in a 300-degree oven until internal temperature reaches 127 degrees, about 5-7 minutes, for medium rare. Take meat out of the oven and loosely tent with foil. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. 

 4. While the venison is in the oven, in the same pan where the venison was browned, add more oil to the pan and brown sliced mushrooms over medium-high heat. Then add onion and sauté until soft. Carefully stir in Irish whisky and allow to simmer until almost completely evaporated. Lower heat to low and stir in 3/4 cup of heavy cream. Simmer until thickened and season to taste.

5. Meanwhile, drain parsnips and potatoes and return to the warm pot. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and mash. Stir in heated heavy whipping cream, as desired, and season to taste. Serve mashed parsnip-potato and venison with cream sauce on top.