Lots of Updates

I'm about to have a lot of updates coming your way! I've been cooking, but not blogging; mostly due to my crazy busy schedule lately. I've been taking pictures along the way though, so now I'm going to try and catch up in the next few posts. Make sure you check out the new posts below for some great new recipes!

This post will actually be about dinner tonight. It's hunting season and the hubby harvested 2 deer this year! So it doesn't take a crystal ball to see lots of venison in our future. And turkey season is up next, so hopefully we'll have some wild turkey in a few months!

Venison tenderloin is probably one of my favorite cuts of deer. I haven't always been a big fan of deer meat. It can be pretty gamey and definitely has a distinct smell and taste, but it is super lean and I've found that with the right marinades it is perfect! This year, T got smaller deer, so of course the tenderloin is smaller, but very tender and the perfect amount for our family of 3. I've gone Korean BBQ style and made deer poppers, so this time I decided on a Thai flair for the tenderloin. I was inspired by some fried shrimp with a Thai style sauce that we had over the weekend. It had a distinct peanut butter flavor, which I am not usually a fan of, but it really worked in that sauce. I've based my marinade around that sauce, but mine isn't quite as peanuty.

This time I went ahead and sliced the tenderloin into medallions prior to marinading and grilling the meat. I then marinaded the medallions for about 3 1/2 hours. I also reserved about a tablespoon of the marinade to top the cooked medallions. It was SO good! I will definitely do this again!


Thai Style Venison Medallions
Source: Me

1 venison tenderloin, slightly thawed from frozen and sliced into about 1/2" medallions
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/2 c soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp. sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

Melt the peanut butter slightly in the microwave, about 15 seconds on high. Then whisk in soy sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients except the venison and whisk together. Reserve about a tbsp, or more if you like, to pour over the finished dish. Add the medallions to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but several hours would be better. Grill medallions (I used my cast iron grill pan) until medium doneness. Pour reserved marinade over grilled medallions.

We also had sauteed blue (or purple, whichever you prefer) potatoes with crispy shallots. I bought the blue potatoes just because I'd always wanted to try them and my local Publix had them on sale.


They are very interesting to work with. They basically taste the same, but they get blue everywhere!


For the record, the hubby says they do not taste the same as regular potatoes. He said they were good, but not the same. I think they have a slightly bitter after taste occasionally, but not every time. These were just plain awesome! You can do the same thing with baby red potatoes or fingerling potatoes also.



(Blue)Potatoes with Crispy Shallots
Source: Me

10 small blue potatoes, quartered
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 large shallot, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat. Throw in the potatoes, toss to cover with oil, then put a lid on it. The steam will help cook the potatoes quicker. Stir occasionally. When the potatoes are slightly fork tender, but still too firm to eat, add the shallots and stir. After the shallots start to crisp up, add the garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic starts to brown slightly, but make sure it doesn't burn. Burnt garlic is really bitter!