Braised venison leg with red wine sauce

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg boneless venison leg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, in pieces
• 2 stalks celery, in pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 500 ml full-bodied red wine
• 400 ml game stock
• 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• Optional: 2 tbsp cognac for the sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Take the venison leg out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Season generously with salt and pepper.Heat a splash of olive oil in your Dutch oven over high heat. Brown the venison leg all over until golden, about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic gently for 5 minutes until they start to colour.Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the game stock, juniper berries, bay leaves and thyme.Place the venison leg back into the Dutch oven. The liquid should cover about three quarters of the meat. Put the lid on the pan.Preheat the oven to 160°C (top and bottom heat). Put the Dutch oven with the lid in the oven and let the venison leg slowly braise for 2.5 hours. From time to time use your lid lifter to lift the lid safely and baste the meat with the cooking liquid.Remove the venison leg from the Dutch oven and let it rest for 10 minutes under aluminum foil. Meanwhile, strain the sauce into a saucepan and reduce over high heat until it becomes a rich, glossy sauce. Season with salt, pepper and, if desired, a splash of cognac.Slice the venison leg into attractive slices and serve with the red wine sauce, potato gratin and braised red cabbage. Garnish with fresh thyme for a festive finish.