STS Bar & Grill: Andean Elk Stir Fry
The tenderloins were the first to go. The backstraps weren’t far behind. You then spent the rest of the year whittling your way through the sirloins, round steaks, roasts, and burger meat, keeping one eye on the calendar and the other on the inventory. This year you were going to pace it just right. But now it’s almost big game season and you realize you’ve undershot once again. Time to eat down the freezer in a hurry. Sound familiar?
It’s also that time of year when all of your favorite pastimes and most pressing chores converge, crowding out all the nonessentials, e.g sleep and meal preparation. What to do?
Introducing Andean Elk Stir Fry. Inspired by a traditional Peruvian beef dish, this one skillet meal is fast, flexible and flavorful – just right for helping you finish off last year’s game while keeping up with a frenetic fall.
What you’ll need…
Elk – 1.5# of whatever you’ve got that cuts well into stir fry strips
Potatoes – 3 medium
Red Onion – 2 large
Garlic – 6 cloves
Bell Peppers – 2 large feel free to add a jalapeno or other chili if you want some heat
Cumin – ¾ teaspoon
Garlic Powder – ¾ teaspoon
Soy Sauce – 5 tablespoons
Apple Cider Vinegar – 3 tablespoons
Salt and Pepper – To taste
Oil – Peanut or Safflower, for fry baking and stir frying
Step 1: Fries. Unlike most Asian stir fries which are served over rice or noodles, this South American adaptation has a potato base. Preheat oven to 400. Slice potatoes into long fries, about 1/3 inch thick. Toss with vegetable oil and garlic powder, then spread evenly over a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until crispy brown.
Step 2: Knife work. While the fries are baking cut the meat and veggies to stir fry dimensions. I like thin strips for the elk and peppers, wide strips for the onion, mince for the garlic and generous wedges for the tomatoes. Season meat with salt, pepper and cumin.
Step 3: Stir fry. Heat oil in a large wok, cast irion skillet, or heavy bottomed Dutch oven to just shy of smoking. Toss in the meat and brown aggressively for a few minutes. 2 or 3 should do it unless you’ve crowded the pan. Add onions, peppers and garlic. Give it another couple of minutes. Add soy sauce, vinegar and tomatoes. Let the liquids come to a boil then remove from heat.
Step 4: Eat. Serve immediately over fries. These quantities should feed at least 5. Or it can feed you 5 times. This stuff is great left-over.
Step 5: Repeat. Now that you have the concept down, and realize how incredibly fast and easy it is, you can make your own iterations. Ingredient ratios and even the ingredients themselves are all up for grabs. The peppers in particular are easily substituted for whatever veggie happens to be in the fridge or coming out of the garden. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots and leafy greens have all proven worthy additions at our house.
Andean Elk Stir Fry
Elk – 1.5#
Potatoes – 3 medium
Red Onion – 2 large
Garlic – 6 cloves
Bell Peppers – 2 large
Cumin – ¾ teaspoon
Garlic Powder – ¾ teaspoon
Soy Sauce – 5 tablespoons
Apple Cider Vinegar – 3 tablespoons
Salt and Pepper – To taste
Step 1: Slice potatoes into fries, toss with oil and garlic powder then bake at 450 for 25 minutes
Step 2: Cut elk into stir fry strips and season with cumin, salt and pepper. Cut veggies to appropriate dimensions.
Step 3: Stir fry, meat first then add veggies and finally liquids and tomatoes.
Step 4: Serve over fries and dig in.