Pan Seared Venison Medallions

It’s officially hunting season! This recipe pairs with The Walls Wonderful Nightmare Tempranillo, and it’s a great expression for anything your hunter brings home.

2 Venison Medallion Steaks

2 tsps Kosher Salt

2 TBSP Fresh Thyme leaves (separated from stems)

1/2 TBSP Cracked Black Pepper

3TBSP Olive oil, divided

2 TBSP Unsalted Butter

1 Shallot, thinly sliced

4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced

1 Cup Beef Broth

1 TBSP Flour

1. Pat steaks dry. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt, and let sit while you prepare your thyme paste.

2. In a mortar, combine thyme leaves, black pepper, and 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Using your pestle, grind into a paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, mince thyme as fine as possible, and combine with the olive oil and black pepper.

3. Add remining olive oil, 1 tbsp butter, shallot and half of the garlic to a cast iron pan on medium heat. Pat your steaks dry one final time, being sure to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Add steaks to the hot pan and begin searing.

4. Add half of the thyme paste to the pan. With tongs, pick up each steak and swirl the paste into the oil and butter and onto the down facing side of the steaks. Sear for 8 minutes.

5. Turn the steaks over, being sure to sear the sides before flipping onto its other side. Add the last of the thyme paste to the pan, swirling again onto the down facing side of the steak. Sear 8 minutes, maintaining the temp on a medium-low.

6. At the 8 minute mark, check the internal temperature of each steak. It should read 140 degrees. If they aren’t to temp, continue to sear each side for two minutes at a time until the desired temperature is reached. Remove steaks from the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

7. With the pan still on medium low, add 2/3 cup of the broth to the pan to deglaze, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add flour and whisk together well. Add the remainder of the brother and whisk on low heat until well combined, then remove from heat.

8. Slice steaks against the grain in thin slices. Plate and generously top with the gravy. Serve!