Date Night Venison Tenderloin with Red Wine Pan Sauce

Hey, guys, look at the calendar. It’s February 14th. Know what that means? That’s right, it’s one day closer to turkey season. But there’s something else going on today. Did you make a restaurant reservation for Valentines Day dinner tonight? Yea, didn’t think so. Put your phone down. It’s too late for that now. But don’t worry because you can still salvage the day by cooking up a romantic dinner for two, yourself. Quit laughing, it isn’t that hard. Here’s what you need to do.

Forget to make a Valentine’s Day reservation? Don’t worry, this recipe will salvage your date night dinner. All images by Michael Pendley

First, get some halved red or gold potatoes and asparagus into the oven to roast. Next, grab a couple venison tenderloins from the freezer and get them thawed. Tenderloin is the perfect cut for this one. It’s tender, cooks fast, tastes delicious, and is perfect for a quick dinner. If you’ve already eaten all your tenderloin, use some backstrap steaks instead. Start by cutting the tenderloin into medallions that are about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half thick. Heat some oil, lard, duck fat, or beef tallow in a skillet over medium high heat. Season the venison on both sides with salt and pepper.

Cut the tenderloins into medallions and season well before searing.

Brown the venison on all sides, taking care not to overcook. Shoot for medium rare. Just turn the meat in the pan every 30 to 60 seconds until you have good color all around. Move the venison to a warm platter and loosely cover with foil to rest.

Sear the backstrap all over for good color and a medium-rare finish.

See all that cooked-on brown stuff in the bottom of the skillet? That’s good. That’s where the flavor comes from. Pour in 1 cup of beef stock and bring to a boil, using a wooden or hard plastic spatula to scrape away at that cooked on stuff in the skillet. Once you have everything scraped up, add a cup of your favorite red wine. Save the rest of the bottle to serve with dinner. Continue boiling to reduce. Add a clove of minced garlic, a tablespoon of dehydrated onion, and a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning to the pan. Continue boiling until the liquid reduces by about half. Turn off the heat. To thicken the sauce, stir in 3-4 tablespoons of butter, a tablespoon at a time. Stir each pat until it melts before adding the next one.

Once the liquid in the pan has reduced by half, turn off the heat and stir in the butter one pat a time to thicken the sauce.

Plate up a few of the tenderloin medallions with some asparagus and roasted potatoes. Spoon over the pan sauce. Serve it up with a candle and a glass of wine. Finish the meal with some cold smoked chocolate from this post. Trust me on this one, it will get you out of the doghouse for forgetting the holiday in the first place.