Luxurious Venison Stroganoff with a Thick Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) venison roast, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ⅓ cups beef stock
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Step 1

Tos the venison in a large bowl with the red wine, a teaspoon of salt, and some black pepper. Let it sit and soak up those flavors for about 10 minutes. Once marinated, take the venison out but keep the marinade handy.

Step 2

Heat some olive oil in a big skillet over medium heat. Add the venison and cook it, stirring occasionally, until it’s nicely browned—this should take around 5 to 7 minutes. Once browned, transfer the meat to a plate. Pour off any extra grease from the pan.

Step 3

Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in the same skillet. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion softens—about 5 minutes. Toss in the garlic and keep cooking until the onion turns translucent, roughly another 4 minutes. Scoop this mixture onto the plate with the venison.

Step 4

Now, melt a quarter cup of butter in the skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir it around, cooking until it turns a light golden color, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in the beef stock and water, bringing everything to a boil while stirring constantly. Lower the heat, then pour in the reserved red wine marinade, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and red pepper flakes.

Step 5

Add the venison and onion mixture back into the pan. Cover it and let everything simmer gently, giving it a good stir every 20 minutes or so, until the venison is tender—this could take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.

Step 6

About five minutes before you’re ready to serve, stir in the cream of mushroom soup and cream cheese. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed, then enjoy!