The first deer of the season. It's tradition: fresh deer steaks for supper. And it seems I'm always wondering how to cook it and trying something new. The mushroom gravy I made this year turned out so yummy that this might just have to become part of the tradition too. =) I seared the steaks on both sides, then removed them from the skillet, made the gravy recipe below, and returned the steaks to the gravy to simmer. Wish I'd had them in all day.
My Mushroom Gravy
yield: about 3 cups gravy
2 cups sliced mushrooms (I had button mushrooms)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
2 cups broth (I had vegetable bouillon)
splash of wine or balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup yogurt (or sour cream if you like)
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions: Melt the butter in a pan and saute mushrooms, garlic, and onions over medium to low heat until soft, stirring occasionally. In the meantime make broth or warm it up if you have canned broth. Add a splash of wine or vinegar (about 1 TBSP) to the broth for extra flavor. Set aside. When the mushroom/onion mixture is soft, sprinkle flour all over and stir in. Cook a minute or so. Over medium heat, add the warm broth, stirring to reduce clumps. If the broth is warm, this will thicken up right away. Add bay leaf and simmer a while. Stir in yogurt and add salt and pepper to taste before serving. Remove bay leaf.
We thought this would be good with ground meat added in, served over biscuits, or in any other way you like to eat gravy. We had it with mashed potatoes on the side, which was delicious too.