If you only think of using cranberries at Christmastime, you need to reconsider! I buy extra bags in the winter and freeze them. You don't have to do anything to them except place the bag in the freezer! Then I have them all year. I also love dried cranberries ... in the cranberry flavor. You probably know that they flavor them with blueberry and cherry ... but I like the authentic tart/sweet flavor!
I'm blessed with a friend who put a deer in my freezer this past fall ... and with a sharp-shooter sister-in-law ... who gave me another half a deer. My brother processed that one (while I helped by watching and carrying on conversation about the old days) ... so my freezer is filled with this wonderful lean flavorful meat!
Venison is so lean, it can be dry ... so I always marinate and sauce my creations. This recipe is so good and anything left from the roast makes a great sandwich the next day. All you have to do is add a little bbq sauce, if you've eaten all the original sauce!
Remember that I frequently cook for just one person, so I had my brother cut all my roasts in less than 2 pound pieces. That has been a hard thing about becoming a widow ... cooking for 1 person and it has taken me five years to learn the lessons of not having left-overs that I'll never eat.
This delicious meal began with this roast that is less than 2 pounds. It has a nice piece of fat on one edge and that adds so much flavor. No need to trim it completely, when you are slow roasting or pressure cooking ... because all the shine and fat will disappear!
I love my electric pressure cooker ... although I am not afraid to use my stove top! I browned the roast on all sides in a little olive oil, before adding the other ingredients that make a spicy sauce.
To my pot, I added 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup of beef broth, 1 cup of a California Shiraz, 1 teaspoon of achiote powder, 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper powder and 2 bay leaves. I pressure cooked the roast for 1 hour ... remember it was just 2 pounds.
This is the end result ... flavorful, juicy and succulent! The flavors were bold, but not overly 'hot' ... and the sweet/sour cranberry flavors made it perfect. After you remove the roast from the pot, you might have to reduce the sauce for a few minutes ... to thicken it ... but it might be perfect without doing that! You decide.
I served the roast with buttered noodles, sprinkled with a little parsley ... and it was delicious! I'll be sharing this with Miz Helen and a few other blog parties ... If you'd like to see another recent post about venison ... click right here!
