Elk Steak with Sour Cherry Wild Mushroom Sauce, Truffle Potato Pave, Roasted Beets, and Savoy Cabbage

Game meats such as elk and bison are becoming more widely available and provide a flavourful and healthy alternative to traditional red meat proteins. With this leaner meat, it is best to avoid overcooking, which leads to toughening. The sour cherries and wild mushrooms make for an ideal pairing atop the game.

Elk Rib-Eye

6 - 5 to 6 oz (140 to 170 g) elk rib-eye steaks
6 slices smoked bacon
Sea salt and fresh pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high. Season and wrap elk rib-eyes with bacon, holding in place with toothpicks. Cook on grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Grill until desired doneness and hold aside until ready to serve.

Sour Cherry Wild Mushroom Sauce

1/4 cup (60 mL) sweet onion, sliced
1 Tbsp (15 mL) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups (350 mL) wild mushrooms
1 Tbsp (15 mL) garlic, minced
3 Tbsp (45 mL) sour cherries
Sea salt and fresh pepper

Sweat onions with butter in a pan over medium heat until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add mushrooms and garlic; toss and cook for another 3 minutes before adding cherries and seasoning to taste. Mix gently to heat through.

Truffle Potato Pave

Chef’s tip: When all potatoes are layered, use a similar-sized baking dish to press down on potatoes to compress and even out the potato and cheese layers.

1 tsp (5 mL) butter
1/2 cup (125 mL) cream
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Nutmeg, to taste
3 large potatoes, thinly sliced
1 oz (28 g) black truffles, very thinly sliced
2 cups (500 mL) Grana Padano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Butter 9 x 13 in (23 x 33 cm) baking dish.

Mix together cream, egg yolk, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Blend together with sliced potatoes. Arrange a layer of slightly overlapping potato slices in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Dot with 1/3 of the thinly sliced truffles. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat layers two more times, ending with a layer of cheese.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven until potatoes are tender and cheese is browned and bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow sauce to thicken.

Roasted Beets

6 red beets
2 Tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Scrub beets to remove any dirt. Rub with maple syrup and roast on a baking sheet until tender (35 to 60 minutes or longer, depending upon size). Cool, then top and tail beets. Use a potato cutter to make cylinders, and reserve to serve alongside rib-eye.

Savoy Cabbage

1 cup (250 mL) Savoy cabbage, washed, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream (35 percent)
Tapioca starch, as needed
Sea salt

Blanch cabbage and cool in an ice bath. Bring cream to simmer and whisk in tapioca starch until cream becomes thick. Season with salt, cool, and reserve to serve alongside rib-eye. Alternately, serve rib-eye with colourful, seasonal vegetables and roasted potatoes. Serves 6.

source: "A taste of Eden", from alive #317, March 2009