United States
European Union
Germany
United Kingdom
Australia
New Zealand
One of my favorite recipes all year long is actually a simple and classic preparation of any steak, but since I’m a hunter, I love to use elk. This recipe also works very well in the field around a campfire or even while camping or living in a van down by the river, as we have done in our Sprinter van, called “Elkamp.”
Ingredients
As with any protein you want to pull out of the fridge to bring to just below room temp as you prepare your vegetables and herbs for the accompanying sauce.
- 2 - 6 oz. elk loins or rib chops
- 6 oz. or more fresh or rehydrated morel mushrooms
- 1 bundle asparagus spears
- Italian oil dressing
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, more if preferred
- 1+ tablespoon fresh rosemary sprigs (dried works well, too)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chicken stock (Better than Bullion also works)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup cream
Yields 2 servings.
Directions
- Prep. Clean elk loin or rib steak of any silver skin and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a bit of olive oil to coat.
- Prepare asparagus by cutting off the lower lighter colored stem. Clean mushrooms by removing visible dirt and cut the stem ends. Slice mushrooms to small bite size. Mince shallot, add garlic and chop about one tablespoon of dried or fresh rosemary, saving 2 sprigs for later.
- Cook. Add oil to coat a heavy gauge sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add elk loin and sear both sides to get a nice “crust” all over loin steaks.
- Add rosemary sprigs and sauté.
- Add 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to melt and move the elk to the closer side of the pan. Tip the pan pooling the butter and spoon over the steaks to baste continuing to cook the steak to rare. Set aside to rest.
- Fire your grill (stovetop works, too) and rest the asparagus in a bowl with enough Italian dressing to submerge.
- When grill is red hot, place the asparagus perpendicular to the grill rack or use a vegetable screen and cook to char. Season with a granular finishing salt and fresh pepper, set aside.
- In the same pan from the elk, add equal parts of butter and oil (1 tablespoon each) along with mushrooms and rosemary, cook for a minute to soften then add garlic and shallots until softened. Add 1 tablespoon chicken stock and ¼ cup of water. Cook down until most of the liquid is absorbed and add ¼ cup of cream and cook down until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Plating. This is as good as it gets, so open a great bottle of a big Napa Cabernet, like Silver Oak or an Italian Brunello. Plate the steak by leaving whole or slice for an even more impressive presentation. Pour the morel sauce over and arrange the asparagus to fill the plate. Finish with a granular sea salt and fresh pepper and enjoy the bounty of the season!
About Jody:
Jody and his wife can be found fly fishing on the Yellowstone under the expansive Big Sky of Montana on any given day of the year. Growing up in a hunting and fishing family, Jody understands that there is more to a successful day outdoors than the obvious catch or trophy; it’s capturing the small pieces of the much larger story. Find him on Instagram @jody.marler.