Paleo air fryer venison steaks with pear and beetroot

Paleo venison steaks from the air fryer with juniper, plus roasted pear and beetroot from the same basket and lamb's lettuce with walnuts. Dinner in 27 minutes with 50 g protein.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 12 min
• Cooking time: 15 min
• Total time: 27 min
• Calories: 593 kcal per serving
• Protein: 50 g
• Fat: 27 g
• Carbs: 33 g

Ingredients

• 2 pears
• 250g cooked beetroot
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 400g venison steak
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 100g lamb's lettuce
• 20g walnuts
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 juniper berries
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 tsp honey

Method

You’ll need: air fryer · chopping board · knife

1. Quarter the pears, remove the cores and cut the pre-cooked beetroot into wedges. Toss both with a third of the olive oil, the thyme and a little salt.
2. Cook the pears and beetroot in the air fryer at 200 °C for 8 minutes.
3. Crush the juniper berries and rub the venison steaks with a third of the olive oil, the juniper, the rest of the salt and the pepper.
4. Lay the steaks on the pears and beetroot and cook everything at 200 °C for another 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the steaks after 3 minutes, then leave them to rest for 3 minutes.
5. Whisk the cider vinegar, honey and remaining olive oil, toss the lamb's lettuce in it and scatter over chopped walnuts.
6. Slice the steaks and serve with the pears, beetroot and lamb's lettuce.

Good to know

Game is in season in autumn and is quicker to make than many people think. Venison steaks need only 7 minutes in the air fryer, with the pear and beetroot cooking first in the same basket. Juniper gives the classic game flavour.

Swaps

Venison steak → rump steak or saddle of roe deer. Beetroot → parsnips. Honey → maple syrup. Walnuts → hazelnuts.

Cooking tips

Venison is very lean and dries out quickly: for pink meat, the thermometer should read 58 °C in the centre. Defrost frozen steaks overnight in the fridge.

Storage

Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge; sliced cold, they go well on the lamb's lettuce.

Allergens

Gluten-free, no milk or egg; contains walnuts (tree nuts). In pregnancy, cook the venison right through (3 minutes longer). If you're pregnant or trying for a baby, and for children, only use farmed or lead-free shot game. No honey for babies under 1 year old.

Dairy-free recipes