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Venison Steak with Light Potato Gratin, Wild Mushrooms & Red Wine Reduction
Recipe

Venison Steak with Light Potato Gratin, Wild Mushrooms & Red Wine Reduction

Dinner • South Africa

A restaurant-style plate that still works for a weeknight: tender venison steaks, a lighter potato gratin (no cream), sautéed mushrooms, and a simple red wine reduction.

Why smarter

Uses milk and a little mature cheese instead of cream-heavy gratin, keeps portions satisfying with potatoes and mushrooms, and builds flavour with reduction and aromatics rather than lots of added fat.

Chef tip

Venison is lean—aim for medium-rare and rest well. If your pan is getting too hot while searing, pull it off the heat for 20 seconds between turns.

Soft line

All the steakhouse vibes, a little lighter.

Ingredients

# Ingredient Text Amount Unit Ingredient Name Notes
1 Venison steaks (e.g., kudu/springbok), about 150 g each 600.000 g venison steaks Trim any silver skin if needed
2 Fine salt 1.000 tsp salt Divided
3 Black pepper 0.500 tsp black pepper Plus extra to taste
4 Grapeseed or canola oil 2.000 tbsp grapeseed oil For searing and sautéing
5 Potatoes, thinly sliced (about 2–3 mm) 600.000 g potatoes Casserole potatoes work well
6 Onion, thinly sliced 1.000 medium onion
7 Garlic, crushed 2.000 cloves garlic Divided
8 Low-fat milk 450.000 ml low-fat milk
9 Cornflour (maizena) 2.000 tsp cornflour For thickening gratin
10 Dijon mustard 1.000 tsp Dijon mustard Optional but tasty
11 Grated mature cheddar (or parmesan-style hard cheese) 40.000 g mature cheddar A small amount for topping
12 Mixed wild mushrooms (or brown mushrooms), sliced 300.000 g mushrooms Oyster/portobellini/brown work well
13 Fresh thyme (or rosemary), chopped 2.000 tsp thyme Divided
14 Dry red wine 250.000 ml red wine
15 Beef stock (preferably reduced-salt) 250.000 ml beef stock
16 Balsamic vinegar 1.000 tbsp balsamic vinegar Optional, helps round the reduction
17 Fresh parsley, chopped 2.000 tbsp parsley To finish

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200°C. Lightly oil a medium baking dish.
  2. Make the light gratin base: whisk milk with cornflour, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, Dijon (if using) and half the garlic. Add sliced onion. Bring to a simmer in a pot, whisking until lightly thickened (about 3–4 minutes).
  3. Layer sliced potatoes in the baking dish, pouring over the hot milk mixture as you go. Press down to submerge. Sprinkle over the cheese and half the thyme. Bake 40–50 minutes until tender and golden.
  4. While the gratin bakes, pat venison dry. Season with remaining salt and pepper.
  5. Start the red wine reduction: in a saucepan, simmer red wine and stock with the remaining thyme. Reduce until glossy and slightly syrupy (about 12–18 minutes). Stir in balsamic if using, then keep warm on very low heat.
  6. Cook the mushrooms: heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan, add mushrooms and cook until browned and their liquid evaporates. Add remaining garlic and a pinch of pepper; cook 30–60 seconds more. Remove to a warm plate.
  7. Sear the venison: in the same pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium-high. Sear steaks 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare (time depends on thickness).
  8. Rest steaks 5 minutes. Slice if you like. Serve with a portion of potato gratin, mushrooms, and a spoon of red wine reduction. Finish with parsley.