Saddle of deer with Spätzle and Brussel Sprouts

📝 Ingredients

• 800 g - 1kg saddle of deer
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 4 juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves
• salt & pepper
• 2 shallots
• 1 clove of garlic
• 400 ml game stock
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 50 ml port wine
• 70 ml red wine
• 1 Tbsp red currant jelly—and some extra for later
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 juniper berries
• salt and pepper
• 750 g Brussels sprouts
• salt & pepper
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tbsp semolina
• 400 g flour
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• shot of mineral water

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Take the saddle of deer out of the refrigerator, wash it with cold water and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
2. 2Parry the back of the deer and free it from the visible tendons.
3. 3Prepare Brussels sprouts:
4. 4Cut off the stalk from the Brussels sprouts, pluck the leaves one by one and set aside.
5. 5For the sauce, cut the shallots into strips.
6. 6Peel and press the garlic
7. 7Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a saucepan and sauté the shallots.
8. 8Deglaze with the port wine and red wine
9. 9Add the currant jelly, bay leaves, garlic clove and juniper berries and let everything simmer for 5 minutes.
10. 10Add the game stock and let it boil down.
11. 11In the meantime, preheat the oven to 120 degrees
12. 12First whisk the eggs, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl.
13. 13Add the flour and semolina and mix together to form a smooth Spätzle dough until small bubbles of air come up and set aside. If the dough is too firm, add the dash of mineral water.
14. 14Season the saddle of deer vigorously with salt and pepper
15. 15Heat the olive oil in a pan and sear the venison on all sides.
16. 16Press on the juniper berries and add with the bay leaves and thyme.
17. 17Place the saddle of deer with the spices on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, the core temperature of the deer should be between 58 °C -60 °C.
18. 18Finishing the sauce: Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and add the remaining butter to the sauce and let it cook to thicken the sauce.
19. 19In the meantime, bring 2 pots with water and salt to a boil.
20. 20Let the Brussels sprouts cook for 2 minutes in one of the pots and then drain off in a sieve.
21. 21Make the Spätzle in the other pot with a Spätzle press or scraper and set aside in a sieve
22. 22Heat the butter in a pan and briefly toss the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper.
23. 23Take the saddle of deer out of the oven and fry it again vigorously in a pan with 2 Tsp of butter.
24. 24Cut the meat into slices and serve with Brussels sprouts, Spätzle and the sauce and optional some red currant jelly