Venison Steak and Gravy

I recently adapted another one of Krysti Crabtree's recipes. She is the author of Nevada Foodies and Wild Game Cuisine, A Collection of Wild Game Recipes.

The gravy was incredibly flavoful. I a couple of cups of beef broth (per Krysti's suggestion), because we wanted lots of gravy for mashed potatoes. This didn't thin the flavor at all, becaues it had cooked down a good bit.

The crushed crackers added some great texture to the gravyu, but mostly fell off the steaks. However, it thickend the gravy nicely. I scooped out the chunks of crushed crackers left behind in the pan and added them to the delicious gravy.

I'll be honest, when the craker crumbs didn't stick that well, it made me hungry for chicken fried steak. But, this recipe doesn't soak up so much oil in the steaks, like egg-dredged batter does. I recommend you try it! Good stuff.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but I rarely do. Here are the ingredients recommended by Krysti's recipe, with our minor changes. We doubled this recipe, so we would have left overs:

1 pound elk roast, cut into 6 steaks, about 1/2 inch thick 1 cup crushed crackers 1/2 cup olive oil (instead of Canola) 2 tablespoons butter 2 medium onions, sliced 2 cans mushrooms (or 2 cups of fresh) 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour 2 cups beef broth made from beef base 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

I tenderized the steaks with a blade tenderizer. You can use a mallet and pound it. Saute mushrooms, onions and thyme in butter. If using canned, add them in the end. When the onions are softened, sprinkle all with the flour and stir in the broth. Boil until the gravy thickens. Add Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Simmer, adding more beef broth, if it gets too thick. You'll want plenty!

Crush the crackers on a cutting board or large plate. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Press each tenderized steak into the crackers on boths sides. Gently lay the steaks in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side. Immediately lay the steaks in the gravy and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with mashed potates. The potatoes and gravy became the focal point of the meal for us. Although, the steaks were awesome! Plenty of leftovers were welcome.

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