Venison loin with Brussels sprouts and chestnuts. Accompanied with mashed potato and a red wine sauce. Classic, seasonal and above all very tasty.
Eating with the seasons. It sounds very easy. But every time I find myself at a supermarket, with racks stocked with fruit and vegetables from all over the world, it find it pretty difficult to remember just what is or isn’t in season. I’ve found that a great way to remember is to go with the classics. Cooking the dishes that were on the menu before our carbon footprint started to span the entire globe.
So for the Christmas menu, I tried out the classic combination of Brussels sprouts, chestnut and venison.
Brussels sprouts are named after the Belgian capitol of Brussel (or Bruxelles depending on which Belgian you’re asking). The reason they’re named after this city is simply because they were first cultivated in that region. Possibly as early as the 13th century. With harvest season being from September to February, it’s hardly surprising that historically they’ve been popular for Christmas dinners.
Brussels sprout have a bit of a bad reputation. Mainly because in the old days, they were prepared by boiling them to within an inch of their lives, which left them mushy and bitter. These days there are a lot more ways to prepare sprouts that produce far better results, like roasting, sauteing or braising. As a result they’ve regained a lot of their popularity. When prepared well, Brussels sprouts have a sweet, nutty flavor that combines very well with sweet chestnuts.
Chestnuts have long been a food staple in various parts of the world. Historically they’ve kept many poor communities alive during the winter months. Oddly enough chestnuts are considered more of a luxury product these days. In any case, they’re a good choice for Christmas dinner.
Chestnuts and Brussels sprouts together have quite a strong taste. So you need to pair them with a kind of meat that has a strong taste of its own to form a counterbalance. A good option is venison.
Venison is the meat of a deer. While its flavour is a bit like beef, it is richer and more gamy. It’s also a pretty healthy option. Venison a very lean meat and it’s rich in iron. With the hunting season running from October to February, it’s also available at the correct time of year.
Maybe, eating with the seasons isn’t that difficult after all.
(If you want to use fresh chestnuts for this recipe, read our how-to on cooking fresh chestnuts.)
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- 1 kg Brussels sprouts
- 400 gr boiled chestnuts
- 600 gr venison loin
- 1 kg potatoes
- 1 egg
- grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 400 ml red wine
- 200 ml beef stock
- 100 gr cold unsalted butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
Ingredients
Red wine sauce
Materials
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- Prepare the vegetables: Remove the stalks from the Brussels sprouts and cut the sprouts in half. Finely chop the boiled chestnuts. Peel the potatoes and cut them in evenly sized chunks.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Season the venison with salt and pepper. Brown it in a generous amount of butter. Then remove it from the pan, leaving the butter.
- Add the sprouts and the chopped chestnuts to the pan and stir them through the butter. Season them liberally with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Then place the meat on top of the vegetables and put the lid on the pan. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for your mash. Cook them until they're tender but still firm. This'll take about 15 minutes, depending on the type of potato you're using.
- To prepare the red wine sauce, put the red wine, beef stock, bay and thyme in a pan and bring to the boil. Then let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until reduced by two thirds. Take off the heat.
- Remove the bay leaf and sprig of thyme. Then, using a whisk, stir the cold butter into the sauce. After this the sauce can be warmed through, but shouldn't be allowed to come to the boil again!
- Once the 30 minutes are done, remove the venison from the pan and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Do this by putting it on a plate and covering it with foil.
- Prepare your mashed potatoes. Do this by adding some butter and an egg to your drained potatoes and blending them with a potato masher. Season with pepper and nutmeg.
- Cut the venison into slices. Arrange on a plate along with the Brussels sprouts, chestnuts and mashed potato. Pour some of the sauce over it and enjoy.
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