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Ingredients
- 1 kg venison
- 2 onions
- 2 carrots
- ½ celery
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500ml red wine
- 500ml game stock
- 3 tbsp cranberries
- 2-4 bay leaves
- 5-8 juniper berries
Preparation
- 1Preheat oven to 160 °C top/bottom heat. Cut vegetables into large cubes. Lightly crush juniper berries.
- 2Pat venison dry all over. Season generously with salt & pepper.
- 3Heat 2 tbsp oil strongly in a roasting pan. Brown the leg vigorously all over (fond at the bottom of the pan adds flavor!). Remove meat.
- 4Add onions, carrots, celery to the roasting pan, roast until they take on color.
- 5Stir in tomato paste and roast briefly until it darkens (removes bitterness and brings out roasted aromas).
- 6Deglaze with red wine, thoroughly loosen the roasted bits. Let boil vigorously for 1–2 min.
- 7Add game stock, juniper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil once. Return meat, along with any released juices, to the roasting pan.
- 8Braise for approx. 1¾–2¼ hours. Place in the oven with a lid. Turn 1–2 times in between and baste with sauce. Target doneness: For tender pink, core temperature 58–60 °C; classically well-done and tender 68–72 °C.
- 9Remove the leg, loosely wrap in foil, and let rest. (approx. 10-15 min)
- 10Pour braising liquid through a sieve into a pot (press vegetables well). Reduce to a rich sauce consistency. Stir in cranberries. Season with salt & pepper. Optional thickening: Glaze: Whisk in 1–2 tbsp cold butter. Gently thicken: Dissolve 1 tsp starch in 1 tbsp cold water, stir into the boiling sauce.
- 11Slice the leg against the grain. Serve with the cranberry-red wine sauce.
Tip
Pre-salting: Salt 30–60 min before roasting – provides better seasoning.
Wine: Dry red wine (e.g., Pinot Noir, Blaufränkisch).
More fruit: 1–2 tbsp cranberry juice from the jar in the sauce rounds out the acidity.
Reheating: Often tastes even better the next day; gently warm in the oven at 120 °C with a little sauce.
