The American Favorites section is where we have placed recipes for dishes that have become American favorites; these recipes are for foods that are enjoyed by many people throughout this great country of ours. In this particular section, I won't assign a specific part of the country as being the origin of the recipe.
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4 T black peppercorns 10 T melted butter
A 5-pound saddle of venison 4 to 6 c beef stock, fresh or
2 tsp salt canned
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Preheat the oven to 475°. Crush the peppercorns in a mortar with a pestle
or wrap them in a kitchen towel and press a rolling pin back and forth over
them. The peppercorns should be quite coarse, not reduced to a powder.
Sprinkle the meat with the salt, then with the heel of your hand press as
much of the crushed pepper as you can into the meat. Place the meat on a
rack in a shallow roasting pan large enough to hold it comfortably and pour
4 T of the melted butter over it. Pour 4 cups of the beef stock into the
bottom of the pan. Roast the venison, uncovered, in the middle of the oven
for 15 minutes, then pour 2 more T of butter over the meat and reduce the
oven heat to 425°. Continue roasting, basting occasionally with the rest of
the butter for 1½ hours longer. (If the saddle is young and tender, and you
prefer game rare, roast only 1 hour longer.) Add the remaining stock to the
pan, ½ cup at a time, if at any point the pan drippings have evaporated.
SAUCE
2 T butter 2 T currant jelly
2 T flour ½ c heavy cream
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When the venison is done, transfer it to a heated platter and let it rest
while you make the sauce. In a 1- to 2-quart enameled or stainless-steel
saucepan, melt 2 T of butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides,
stir in the flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for a minute or
so, or until the mixture bubbles up and froths. Pour in 2 cups of the
roasting pan juices (if there isn't enough, add to it as much stock or water
as necessary). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk until the
sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Reduce the heat to moderate and beat
in the currant jelly and heavy cream. Simmer 2 or 3 minutes longer until the
jelly is thoroughly dissolved. Taste for seasoning. Pour into a heated gravy
boat and serve with the venison. Serves 6 to 8.
