Venison Steak with Mushroom Sauce & Celeriac

Ingredients

• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 venison loin steaks, about 180g each
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 150 ml venison or beef stock
• 300 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 100 ml red wine
• 25 g butter
• 200 ml milk
• 0.5 celeriac, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
• fresh thyme and watercress, to serve
• crusty bread, to serve
• pickled red cabbage, to serve
• creamed spinach, to serve

Method

1. Drop the celeriac cubes into a saucepan with the milk and a good pinch of salt. Simmer gently for 15–20 minutes until a knife slides through with no resistance — undercooked celeriac stays fibrous, so go all the way. Drain, reserving the milk.
2. Mash until smooth, loosening with the reserved milk until it falls in soft ribbons from the spoon. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper — celeriac drinks salt, so be braver than you think. Cover and keep warm.
3. Pat the venison steaks bone dry and season heavily on both sides with salt and pepper before they hit the pan. Water on the surface means steam, and steam means no crust. Heat the olive oil in a stainless or cast iron pan over the highest heat until it's just smoking — non-stick won't give you the fond you need for the sauce.
4. Lay the steaks in away from you and don't crowd the pan — if both steaks won't sit with space around them, sear one at a time. Cook for 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Venison is lean and at its best blushing pink, never beyond. Lift onto a warm plate and rest for 4 minutes — this is non-negotiable.
5. Drop the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same pan, scraping up the caught brown bits — that fond is the backbone of the sauce. Add the shallot and cook for 3 minutes until softened and translucent.
6. Tip in the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 2 minutes before stirring. Crowd them and they'll steam grey; give them space and they'll go deeply golden in about 5 minutes, by which point any liquid has cooked away.
7. Stir in the garlic and thyme leaves and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant — burnt garlic turns the whole sauce bitter, so watch it. Pour in the red wine, let it bubble hard and reduce by half, then add the stock. The wine and stock together break the pan down into a sauce — without that liquid, you've just got mushrooms in butter. Simmer for around 5 minutes until it tightens to a glossy coating consistency. Taste, season, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
8. Spoon the celeriac mash onto warm plates and spread into a soft pool. Slice the rested venison across the grain and lay it over the mash. Spoon the mushroom sauce generously over the top, letting the resting juices fold in. Scatter with thyme sprigs, tuck a handful of watercress alongside, and bring the crusty bread, pickled red cabbage and creamed spinach to the table.