Reinsdyrstek
Roast saddle of reindeer with a juniper-and-thyme crust, served pink with a glossy game sauce.
Cultural Context & History
The roast reindeer that crowns a northern Christmas table is a study in restraint: lean, dark meat cooked barely past rare, its wild-herb sweetness carried by a sauce reduced from bones and forest berries.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg reindeer roast, leg or loin
- 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 carrots and 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 500 ml game stock
- For the sauce: 300 ml pan drippings, 150 g sour cream, 3 slices brown cheese
Recommended Tools
- Leave-in meat thermometerGuides the lean roast to a precise medium-rare.
- Heavy roasting dishHolds the stock and vegetables through the slow roast.
- Balloon whiskMelts the brown cheese smoothly into the sauce.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Rub the reindeer roast all over with the salt and pepper, then sear in the butter in a hot pan until deeply browned on every side.
- 2
Transfer to a baking dish with the chopped carrots and onion, pour in the game stock, and insert a probe thermometer into the centre of the meat.
- 3
Roast at 125°C (255°F) until the internal temperature reaches 60°C (140°F) for medium-rare.
- 4
Wrap the roast loosely in foil and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes so the juices settle.
- 5
Whisk the pan drippings with the sour cream and brown cheese and simmer for 5 minutes, then slice the roast and serve with the gravy.
Chef's Tip
Reindeer is exceptionally lean, so pull it at 58°C and let carryover heat carry it to 60°C — a few minutes beyond that and the meat turns dry and livery.
Chef's Tip
Grate or thinly shave the brown cheese before it goes in; it melts into the cream evenly instead of catching in the pan.
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