Saddle of Venison à la Conti (selle de renne à la Conti)

About the dish

A festive recipe from the game chapter of "Stor kokebok" (1914). The dish belongs to Erken's French-inspired party fare, in which the saddle of venison is marinated for two days in oil and vinegar with root vegetables and herbs, and served with glazed chestnuts and fried tomatoes. A parallel French title was common in the finer cookbooks of the time.

How to make it

1. 1

   Prepare the meat

   Wash the saddle of venison and dry it well. Rub it with salt and pepper and lard it with thin strips of pork fat.

2. 2

   Place in marinade

   Place half of the cleaned, chopped carrots, the onion, parsley, thyme and bay leaf in the bottom of a dish. Lay the saddle on top, drizzle oil and vinegar over the meat, and cover with the rest of the vegetables. Lay a buttered paper on top.

3. 3

   Two days cold

   Set the dish in a cold place for 2 days. Turn the meat every four hours, and each time cover it well with the vegetables.

4. 4

   Roasting

   Place the vegetables from the marinade in the bottom of a roasting pan or skillet, lay the saddle on top and roast it about 1 1/2 hours (about 175 °C (345 °F)). Place cold butter on the meat now and then during roasting.

5. 5

   The sauce

   Take up the saddle. Rinse the pan with a little stock, skim it, pour into a pot, add the cream and 1 tsp crushed juniper berries. Let the sauce cook about 15 minutes, strain it and serve it separately.

6. 6

   Plating

   Cut both fillets off the saddle, slice them diagonally into not-too-thin slices and lay the slices back on the saddle, so it looks whole. Serve with fried potatoes, glazed chestnuts and fried tomatoes.