Ahh...November. When this month hits most normal people are thinking "turkey" and Thanksgiving. Not this girl. My husband and boys are all avid hunters. So I have deer on the brain from the first weekend of November when youth season starts until the week of Thanksgiving. God has been good to us this year with a total of 6 deer blessing our freezer for the winter. I know alot of people that gag at the thought of eating venison, I used to be a part of that group. If the meat is handled correctly there is almost no indicator that it wasn't store bought. My rule of thumb is "Cook it like beef". And that rule seems to work well. One of my family's favorite deer recipes is "Chicken Fried Deer". I usually make mashed potatoes along with cream gravy. It's hearty and satisfying. And always makes leftovers which is great! The recipe follows:
Chicken Fried Deer
1-2 pound rinsed and trimmed deer steaks, pounded to a 1/4- 1/2 inch thickness
Dry coat: 1-2 cups all purpose flour, seasoned salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion salt and salt to taste. (I dump the spices in until i can see them mixed into the flour)
Wet coat: 2 eggs and 1 c. Milk whisked together.
Coat deer in dry coating and shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture and then back in dry. Fry in 1/2 inch of vegetable oil until golden and crispy. Do not overcook or the meat will begin to take on a gamey flavor. It's ok to slightly under cook deer steak. It will finish cooking as it cools on a paper towel.
Cream gravy: Drain all but 1 tablespoon of cooking grease. Add in a couple heaping spoonfuls of flour. Whisk flour and grease together and let it cook for 60 seconds to cook out the flour taste. Then slowly add milk while whisking to avoid lumps. It can take up to 4 cups of milk depending on how much gravy you want. Just eyeball it! Continue to whisk the gravy mixture until thick and creamy. Season to taste.
We also enjoy leftover steaks on toasted bread with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes!
Enjoy!!
