Venison Denver Legs are hind legs that have been deboned and had all the muscles separated – basically you get all the meat with none of the work! These muscles make excellent small roasts, as in this recipe.

Here we’ve paired the venison with sweet, tangy, rich prosciutto vinaigrette and a creamy sweet potato puree that accentuates its color.

Drink Pairing: Northern Rhone Syrah Wine

Ingredients Serves: 2-4

  • 1lb Venison Denver Leg
  • 3 Large Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 1/3 C Chicken Stock
  • ½ t Lemon Juice
  • ¼ t Salt
  • Additional Salt & Pepper
  • Prosciutto Vinaigrette:
  • 3 ounces Prosciutto, small diced
  • 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 T Honey Wine Vinegar
  • 1/3 C Low Sodium Chicken Stock
  • 1 T Safflower Oil
  • 1 T Finely Diced Shallot
  • 1 T Brown Sugar
  • 1 ounces Prosciutto, cut into strips

Instructions

1

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2

Trim the silverskin from the leg muscle & cut/trim it into two pieces of similar size & relatively uniform shape.

3

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into large cubes.

4

Put the cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot & cover them with salted water. Bring the water to a simmer and cook until the cubes are knife tender (about 20 minutes, depending on the cube size).

5

Drain off the water and them in a blender with the cup and a third of chicken stock, quarter teaspoon of salt and lemon juice, blending to a smooth puree.

6

Render the diced prosciutto in the safflower oil over medium heat, cooking until the pieces have crisped up. Then remove the prosciutto from the pan and put it on paper towels to drain off the fat & oil.

7

Add the shallot and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Saute the shallot briefly, then add the honey wine vinegar, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup chicken stock.

8

Simmer the vinaigrette mixture until it has reduced in volume by a third, then take it off the heat and stir in the prosciutto strips.

9

Season the venison with salt & pepper. Oil a frying pan and get it hot over high heat. Sear the venison pieces, turning, until they develop a browned crust on all sides.

10

Move the pan to the oven and roast until the venison reaches your desired doneness (125 degrees for rare, 130 for medium rare).

11

Pull the venison out of the oven and put it on a clean plate to rest, loosely tented with foil, for 15 minutes.

12

Slice the venison, cutting against the grain. Add any accumulated juices from the resting plate to the prosciutto vinaigrette.

13

Rewarm the sweet potato puree in a frying pan if you need to, then spread some of it on each plate.

14

Top the sweet potato puree with venison medallions, then the medallions with the vinaigrette, then sprinkle the crisped prosciutto over the vinaigrette. Serve.