From holiday parties to a casual night at-home, cooks are increasingly looking for alternative red meat options with health, wellness, and exceptional taste in mind.

Executive Chef Jean-François Bruel at the award-winning, two Michelin-starred contemporary French restaurant DANIEL, cooks with High Plains bison throughout the year. Here is a dish made with cocotte of fall vegetables to complement the rich flavors of the bison tenderloin. It’s a wonderful, colorful dish that can be easily adapted for any time of the year.  

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • ¼ cup full-bodied red wine, such as merlot
  • 2 cups brown veal stock
  • Olive oil
  • 5 T butter
  • 8 red pearl onions
  • 2 small carrots, cut into 3 pieces
  • 2 salsify, peeled and cut into 3 pieces
  • 6 oz black trumpet mushrooms, washed well
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 shallots, minced
  • 5 parsnips, peeled, finely chopped
  • ½ cup milk
  • 4 5-oz High Plains Bison steaks, tempered
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and split
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 2 T red wine vinegar
  • 3 springs parsley, leaves only

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. 

In a small saucepot, bring the red wine and veal stock to a boil and reduce by ¾.

In a medium sauté pan set over medium heat, warm a few tablespoons of the olive oil and add 1 T of the butter. Add the red pearl onion, carrot, salsify, and mushrooms. Season with salt and cook on the stovetop, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and continue roasting for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally to ensure even cooking. Keep warm on the side.

Meanwhile, set a saucepot over medium heat and warm a tablespoon of olive oil. Add ¼ of the minced shallots and cook until translucent.  Add the chopped parsnip and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk, season with salt, bring to a simmer, and continue cooking another 10 minutes, or until the parsnip pieces are soft. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer the puree back to the saucepot and keep warm on the side. 

In a large sauté pan set over medium high heat, warm 3 T of olive oil. Season the bison steaks on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sear for 2 minutes on each side, then add 1 T of the butter, garlic, and thyme. Spoon the foamy butter over the steaks for 1 minute each side, and then remove them from pan to a resting rack. In the pan, sauté the remaining shallots until translucent, and add the reduced red wine and veal stock, along with the red wine vinegar, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the remaining butter, remove the spring of thyme and garlic, and season to taste. 

Dress the plates with a swipe of parsnip puree, the roasted vegetables and the bison steaks.  Generously spoon the sauce over the steaks and garnish with the parsley leaves.  

Feature, Recipes