I finished work the other day and it was a long one. I knew I had to cook dinner, and I knew what I had to use: venison. I was not in the mood for a long drawn out recipe and  I could not choose anything else because I did not want the meat to sit in the fridge any longer. So I just whipped up chicken fried venison!

I mean it, I just did it off the top of my head because I did not have the energy to see how others were doing it. It came out magnificent! Now “chicken fried” has nothing to do with chicken, it basically means you are cooking something the same way you would fried chicken. Well, that is basically what I did, except I used healthier ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 6 small venison steaks (loin would probably be the best)
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or crushed and made into a paste
• 1 med onion, diced
• 1/2 cup red wine (Merlot)
• 2 cups beef stock
• Canola oil

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large cast iron skillet, add enough of the oil so you have about 1/2 inch of it in the skillet.  Heat to medium high (about 350 degrees F).

Meanwhile, add the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper into a plastic resealable bag.  Add the steaks to the bag, shake and press the flour into the meat.  Remove most of the air from the bag, and then pound the steaks with a meat mallet or the bottom of a flat heavy glass cup.  You want to flatten them to half their original thickness.  This helps them cook evenly and also break up any toughness.

Once the oil is smoking, add the steaks one at a time, shaking off the excess flour, but do not crowd them.  Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to cook these in batches.  Cook for about 2 minutes on one side, then 2 on the other.  Remove and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium low.  Drain all but two tablespoons of the oil from the pan.  Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes or until just tender.  Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.  Add two tablespoons of flour (add more oil if necessary) and cook down the roux for about 2 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the red wine, then add the broth back stirring constantly until just bubbly.  If the gravy is too thick, add a little more stock.

Put the steaks back in the gravy, and place then entire skillet into the oven and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes. Enjoy!