Stewed Reindeer with Bacon Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 kg reindeer shoulder (boneless, ready to cook)
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 1 onion
• 1 Carrot
• 1 stalk celery root
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 1 Tbsp clarified butter
• 100 g diced bacon
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp crushed juniper berries
• 150 ml Bock beer
• 400 ml game stock
• 200 g mushrooms
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• 50 g heavy cream (at least 30% fat)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Wash and pat dry the meat, then season with salt and pepper. Peel and finely chop the onion; peel and cut the carrot and celery root into pieces; roughly chop the parsley.

2. 2.

   Melt 1 tbsp clarified butter in a roasting pan and sear the meat on all sides. Add the bacon and cook until browned, then remove half of it to set aside. Add the onion, carrot, celery root, and parsley to the pan and sauté briefly. Stir in the tomato paste and crushed juniper berries, then pour in the Bock beer and game stock.

3. 3.

   Roast the back side of the meat in the preheated oven for 1 to 1½ hours, turning occasionally and basting with the roasting liquid. Near the end of cooking, clean, quarter, and sauté the mushrooms in clarified butter; mix them with the reserved bacon. Remove the roast from the liquid, wrap it in foil, and let it rest.

4. 4.

   Strain the roasting liquid through a sieve. Thicken with a small amount of cornstarch mixed in cold water. Stir in the heavy cream and season the sauce to taste. Slice the rested roast and arrange on warmed plates. Drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with bacon and mushrooms. Serve alongside cooked savoy cabbage and steamed apple slices with lingonberries.