Pan Seared Venison Steaks with Mashed Potatoes with Chives & Bacon & Parmesan Rosted Tomatoes

The title is a long one. But that is because I wanted to share the recipe for each item with you. This dinner was amazing. We have a lot of wild game here and I just don't like venison. It's not a favorite at all. That is until we tried it this way. It is not something I look forward to again. The potatoes turned out so yummy too. And the roasted tomatoes are always a favorite of mine. Mainly because I love tomatoes and I love parmesan cheese.

Pan Seared Venison Steaks with Mashed Potatoes with Chives & Bacon & Roasted Tomatoes

Venison or Elk Steaks:

Ingredients:
2 Back Strap Steaks (you can use most any cut of steaks, but this is what we had)
Olive Oil
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp Coriander
2 TBS Butter (do not use margarine. Use salted butter)
3-4 Slices of thick bacon, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half or 3rds.

Directions:
Place steaks on a plate and pour enough olive oil so that it covers both sides and there is a little left over on the plate.
Mix the salt, pepper and coriander in a bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the steak and rub in to both sides of the steak. Cover with plastic wrap and set to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat a heavy pan over med-high heat. Melt butter and add garlic. cook for about a minute (until the garlic is fragrant). Carefully remove garlic, making sure the butter stays in).
Add the diced bacon to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Add your meat and cook steaks for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. You want it a little bit red because it will continue to cook after you take it out of the pan.

When it's done let it rest (sit on plate or cutting board for a couple minutes)
Transfer the bacon to the serving plate. Set meat on top of bacon and drizzle some olive oil over the top.

Mashed Potatoes with Chives and Bacon

Ingredients:
6-8 Med Potatoes, peeled and diced
3 TBS Butter, softened (Salted Butter and not margarine)
Chopped Fresh Chives (to taste, we love chives so we use a lot, but everyone has their own taste so use your taste to decide how many you'd like)
3-4 Strips thick bacon, cooked, drained and crumpled

Directions:
In a large pot place tomatoes and fill with water so that it covers the potatoes (you can substitute chicken stock for the water if you like)
Cook on medium heat until they become soft (you want them soft so they mash easy and have few if any lumps, depending on how you like your mashed potatoes to be)
Once your potatoes are done cooking, preheat your oven to 400 Degrees (F)
Add the butter to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher.
Add the chives and bacon and stir to combine
Salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
Take a cooking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Transfer your potatoes to the tray and put in the oven for 5 minutes, or until browned slightly on top. Using a spatula flip the potatoes over and cook for another 5 minutes (or until browned slightly).
Garnish with some chives and bacon if desired.

Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 Large Tomato
Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Parsley
Oregano
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Slice tomato so it's semi thick.
Heat a large sauce pan or griddle on med-high and lay tomato slices so they are single file. Do not overlap.
Sprinkle each tomato with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and oregano.
Cook for 1 minute. 
Add cheese and parsley and cook for 2 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Serve immediately.

For the broccoli all we did was steam it and added a little parmesan over the top just before serving.