The ‘peaty’ notes in Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey is just the the right note to compliment this classic venison dish – medallions of venison wrapped in bacon. Don’t we all need a little bit of bacon in our day?
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1/12 pounds venison loin
- 6 juniper berries
- 3 whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 cup Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey plus a little extra for drizzling
- 12 rashers of bacon
- 1 cup beef stock
Run the spices through a spice mill until its mixed. It doesn’t need to be ‘powdered’ but finely ground. Slice the loin in 12 evenly thick medallions. Place the medallions in a dish and wrap each with a slice of bacon securing it with a toothpick. Sprinkle the spice mix over the medallions and drizzle them with about 2 tablespoons of whiskey.
Saute the medallions in a pans over high heat for about five minutes or so for a rare steak, a little longer for medium. Add the remaining whiskey and carefully flame it. As I have a gas stove I use the ‘pan-tilt’ way of flaming the whiskey.
Remove the medallions to a platter and keep them warm while making the sauce. Add the beef stock to the pan and deglaze. At this point you can add some cream and mushrooms to make o creamy sauce, or add onions and mushrooms before deglazing to make a lighter sauce.
You can serve the medallions with the sauce on top or on the side, but either way… serve the whiskey too.