Venison!

We got some venison steaks and sausage from a friend who likes to hunt. When I unwrapped the steaks, they were small and falling apart, so I had to improvise. I decided to stew them in red wine and broth and add veggies to make it all delicious.
The trick with venison is that it has a finer texture and is leaner than comparable cuts of beef, but it still has a gamey flavor. Stewing it takes that flavor out, but I still advise brining to remove the gamey taste. I cut the steaks into 1-inch cubes, then I soaked in this solution for 30 minutes:

1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp Tony Chachere's
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

I then drained them, patted them dry, and sprinkled a little flour over the chunks. I got 2 tbs of vegetable oil hot in a deep pot and then seared them on all sides:



I then added 2 cups of dry red wine and 1 cup of chopped onion and a bay leaf. I let it simmer for 5 minutes and then added 2 cups beef broth. I let it cook for 30 minutes, then I added:

1 bunch celery (chopped)
2 sweet potatoes (diced)

Now we come to the sausage. We got a beautiful chunk of sausage, and it had a good salt content. I sliced it on the diagonal and added it with the rest of the vegetables:



Slice the sausage diagonally and drop into the stew. Follow with:
1 lb baby or sliced carrots
2 lbs (or six medium) red potatoes, cut into cubes or small wedges
1/5 cups green peas
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs corn starch, mixed with 2 tbs water

Add the corn starch and water slurry while whisking. Then, dump in all the veg and sausage and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on low for an hour.