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Learn how to cook this easy to follow venison roast in the oven from my German mum-in-law Beate. This roasted saddle and leg of venison with cream sauce is one of my mother-in-law’s signature dishes and a family favorite.
It’s delicious, yet simple to make. The meat is tender, moist and full of flavors and served with a creamy gravy. The game flavor is toned down by the creamy sauce and cranberry sauce. Makes great recipe to wow your family and friends.
Venison roast with red wine cream sauce out of drippings is one of the family favorite Sunday dishes. We had it last Sunday served with bread dumpling (Serviettkloß), red cabbage, Brussels sprout and cranberry sauce and it was mouthwateringly delicious. Though you can serve this recipe with any sides of your choice, cranberry is in my opinion a MUST.
This recipe uses simple and efficient methods that guarantees you a juicy and tender venison roast packed with flavors. For this recipe we’ve used saddle and leg of a deer, but we’ve also made it using wild boar and it turned out perfectly well.
So feel free to use this recipe as a basic recipe to make venison roast of your choice, from wild boar, deer to srpingbok.
How to roast leg and saddle of venison
The meat is wrapped in vinegar kitchen towel overnight. The next day it’s seasoned with salt and pepper and the surface is sealed with hot oil (this prevents the meat from drying out) before putting it in the oven together with onions, carrots, red wine and water for about 2 hours.
The drippings or the remaining liquid is used to make a creamy gravy. Sometimes Beate wraps the saddle in bacon instead of using hot oil.
What you’ll need to make venison roast with cream sauce recipe
Ingredients for the roasted saddle and legs of venison
- 3 kg (6.6 lbs) leg and saddle of deer/ wild boar/ springbok or any
- 3 tablespoons melted lard, hot
- 2 Bay leaves
- 5 Jupiter berries
- 3 medium onions, peeled and cut into bite – sized pieces
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite – sized pieces
- 250 ml (1 cup) red wine
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
Ingredients for the cream sauce for venison
- 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
- about 120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
- salt, freshly ground pepper and cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (corn flour)
- plus dripping from the venison roast
You’ll also need
- vinegar anf kitchen towel
How to cook a venison leg and saddle in oven: Roast saddle and leg of venison
Wet a kitchen towel with vinegar and spread a thin layer on the baking sheet. Put the meat on a baking sheet and cover it with the vinegar towel for 12 hours. During this time the meat must be in a cool place, for example cellar.
After 12 hours, preheat the oven to 200 °C (392 °F) with both up and low heat. Next wear plastic gloves and take the meat one at a time and let tap water just run over the meat (while holding it), to remove excess vinegar.
Shake off excess water and put it on a different baking sheet (pan) (you could also clean the baking sheet that you’ve used previously).
Remove tendons from leg and saddle of game meat and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. If you’re using saddle of venison, then just season it with salt on the inside and put it on the pan facing down. (See photos).
Scatter Juniper berries (whole) and bay leaves around the meat. Followed by bite-sized onions and carrots. Pour hot lard or oil over the meat and then pour about 250 ml (1 cup) water and 250 ml (1 cup) red wine into the pan.
Put in the oven and bake for 90 min.
After 90 min wrap the saddle with aluminum foil and turn the venison leg. Scoop a little bit of the sauce and spread it over the leg. Add about 120 ml (½ cup) water if necessary.
Reduce the temperature from 200 °C (392 °F) to 180 °C (356 °F) and let cook for 30 more minutes. Transfer the meat to a different pan and cover it nicely with aluminum foil. Put it back in the warm but switched off oven, so that it will stay warm.
How to venison gravy: Make red wine gravy for venison
The drippings that came out of the venison while roasting are the foundation to a perfect gravy. Remove bay leaves and Juniper berries from the sauce.
Now pour about ¼ liter (1 cup) water into the roasting pan that you’ve used to roast the venison and mix well, while scrapping up all the brownish staffs from the pan bottom with a spatula.
Then sieve the brownish-staffs sauce broth into a saucepan or small pot. Using a wooden spoon crush the vegetables and press them through the sieve.
Add creme fraiche and bring to a boil. Next stir in heavy cream and cornstarch (corn flour) mixed with a bit of water. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and cayenne pepper.
Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes and done. (if you want you can also refine the sauce with cranberry sauce, but not necessarily).
To serve, remove the meat from the saddle and legs of venison with a sharp knife and cut the meat into slices. Serve with cranberry sauce and any sides of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes:
- Feel free to use hot oil instead of hot lard. Using hot oil prevents the meat from drying out. You could also cover the meat with bacon instead of oil so that it will stay moist.
- For this recipe we’ve used saddle and leg of deer, but it goes well with other game meat as well, from wild boar to springbok.
More Sunday lunch/ dinner recipes
- Roasted duck and gravy
- Roasted goose legs and gravy
- Oven baked fish in creamy wine and vegetable sauce
How To Cook Venison Roast In Oven
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Aluminium foil
- pot
- Whisk
- spoon
- Knife
- Kitchen towel
- Plastic gloves
Ingredients
Ingredients for the roasted venison
- 3 kg (6.6 lbs) leg and saddle of venison
- 3 tablespoons melted lard hot
- 2 Bay leaves
- 5 Jupiter berries
- 3 medium onions peeled and cut into bite – sized pieces
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into bite – sized pieces
- 250 ml (1 cup) wine red
- 250 ml (1 cup) water plus more if necessary
- you'll also need vinegar
For the creamy gravy
- 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
- 120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
- salt, freshly ground pepper and cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (corn flour)
- plus dripping from the venison roast
Instructions
- Wet a kitchen towel with vinegar and spread a thin layer on the baking sheet. Put the meat on a baking sheet and cover it with the vinegar towel for 12 hours.
- During this time the meat must be in a cool place, for example cellar. After 12 hours, preheat the oven to 200 °C (392 °F) with both up and low heat. Next wear plastic gloves and take the meat one at a time and let tap water just run over the meat (while holding it), to remove excess vinegar.
- Shake off excess water and put it on a different baking sheet (pan) (you could also clean the baking sheet that you've used previously). Remove tendons from leg and saddle of wild meat and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. If you're using saddle of venison, then just season it with salt on the inside and put it on the pan facing down. (See step by step photos up!!)
- Scatter Juniper berries (whole) and bay leaves around the meat. Followed by bite-sized onions and carrots. Pour hot lard or oil over the meat and then pour about 250 ml (1 cup) water and 250 ml (1 cup) red wine into the pan. Put in the oven and bake for 90 min.
- After 90 min wrap the saddle with aluminum foil and turn the venison leg. Scoop a little bit of the sauce and spread it over the leg. Add about 120 ml (½ cup) water if necessary. Reduce the temperature from 200 °C (392 °F) to 180 °C (356 °F) and let cook for 30 more minutes. Transfer the meat to a different pan and cover it nicely with aluminum foil. Put it back in the warm but switched off oven, so that it will stay warm.
- The drippings that came out of the venison while roasting are the foundation to a perfect gravy. Remove bay leaves and Juniper berries from the sauce. Now pour about ¼ liter (1 cup) water into the roasting pan that you’ve used to roast the venison and mix well, while scrapping up all the brownish staffs from the pan bottom with a spatula. Then sieve the brownish-staffs sauce broth into a saucepan or small pot.
- Using a wooden spoon crush the vegetables and press them through the sieve. Add creme fraiche and bring to a boil. Next stir in heavy cream and cornstarch (corn flour) mixed with a bit of water. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and cayenne pepper. Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes and done. (if you want you can also refine the sauce with cranberry sauce, but not necessary).
- To serve, remove the meat from the saddle and legs of venison with a sharp knife and cut the meat into slices. Serve with cranberry sauce and any sides of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to use hot oil instead of hot lard. Using hot oil prevents the meat from drying out. You could also cover the meat with bacon instead of oil so that it will stay moist.
- For this recipe we’ve used saddle and leg of deer, but it goes well with other game meat as well, from wild boar to springbok.
Did you make this German venison roast recipe with gravy? I’d love to hear from you! Simply write a review and add rating to it.