Roast Leg of Reindeer

Roast leg of reindeer © kvalifood.com

Roast leg of reindeer is game cooking in the classic style. The leg is rubbed with herb butter, roasted slowly in the oven, and served with a cream sauce made from the pan drippings. The method works equally well for roe deer or red deer. The most important things are a low oven temperature and a meat thermometer — game meat dries out quickly at high heat.

Ingredients

Yields 4–6 servings

  • 1½ kg leg of reindeer (or deer leg)
  • 40 g butter, softened
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 2 thin slices smoked lard (or bacon), optional
  • 5–6 dl stock

Sauce

  • 1–2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1–2 dl heavy cream
  • gravy browning, optional, to taste
  • salt
  • pepper

To serve

  • roast potatoes
  • white cabbage salad
  • lingonberry jam

Directions

Prepare the leg

Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Remove any loose membrane from the leg and pat it dry thoroughly. Mix the softened butter with thyme, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture evenly over the entire leg. Optionally lay thin slices of lard or bacon over the leanest parts.

Roast the leg

Place the leg on a rack over a roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Put the pan in the oven. Pour the stock into the roasting pan after about 20 minutes. Baste the leg with the pan juices at regular intervals during roasting.

Roast until the thermometer reads 150–155°F (65–68°C) for pink meat, or up to 160°F (72°C) for well done. Allow about 1 hour per kg. Remove the leg, wrap it in foil, and let it rest in the turned-off oven for 15 minutes.

Make the sauce

Strain the pan juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk a little of the cream together with the flour and stir it into the juices while whisking. Add the rest of the cream. Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes. Add a little gravy browning for a deeper color if you like. Season with salt and pepper.

Serving

Carve the meat off the bone and slice across the muscle fibers. Arrange on a warm platter and serve with the sauce, roast potatoes, white cabbage salad, and lingonberry jam.

Notes

  • Always use a meat thermometer for game. The meat is lean and dries out quickly with just a few degrees of overcooking.
  • Let the leg rest after roasting — it gives the juices time to redistribute and makes the meat more tender.
  • Lard or bacon over the leg protects against drying out and adds extra flavor.
  • The same method works for a saddle of reindeer: brown at 480°F (250°C) for 10 minutes, then lower to 255°F (125°C) and roast to an internal temperature of 140–150°F (60–65°C).
  • Leftovers can be used for a game ragout: cut the meat into cubes, brown in butter with shallots, add thickened stock and mushrooms, and finish with cream.
  • Frozen meat should be thawed slowly in the refrigerator — allow about 1 day per kg.