Recently, we spent time with Stacy Lyn Harris–former lawyer, blogger, author, and chef. Stacy spent the morning harvesting vegetables from the garden and the afternoon and evening creating dishes full of game. She shared about her unique upbringing in the sporting world, time spent afield with her family, and her love for creating delicious and easy recipes full of game for friends and family. Lucky for us, she also shared a few of these game recipes with us, as well as a few tricks of the trade. See her recipe for Stuffed Venison Loin below, and purchase the December-January 2020 issue for more recipes and an inside look at her life.

“Stuffed Venison Loin is a tender, tasty, easy, elegant dish. It is perfect for special occasions. It’s very versatile in taste. You could add mushrooms, different cheeses and herbs. It allows for creativity in a consistent no fail dish!”

What you’ll need: 2 venison loins (butterflied), ½ cup breadcrumbs, ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup chopped basil leaves, 2 garlic cloves, minced, salt, and pepper.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, cheeses, olive oil, basil, and garlic. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butterfly the two loins. Spread filling evenly over the loin.

To butterfly the loin, with a long sharp knife on the right half of the loin, slice loin 2⁄3 of the way through. Turn over and repeat. Spread loin as flat as possible. Pound the loin to about ¼ inch thick. Completely flatten the butterflied loin and spread stuffing over the loin leaving ½-inch border around the edges. Gently roll loin in to a log and begin to truss.

Using butchers twine about 6 times longer than your loin, wrap around loin approximately 1 ½ inches from end and tie a knot.

Hold the short end of the twine above the knot with your left hand. Pull the long end of the twine away from you and slip it under the part of the twine that you are holding taut above the loin. Repeat wrapping process every 1 ½ to 2 inches until entire loin is trussed.

Turn the loin over and stretch the twine around the end, wrapping around each truss until it reaches the first initial truss. Tie ends together and trim excess.

Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in smoking hot cast iron skillet. Brown loins on all sides. Place loins in 350-degree oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan. Let rest. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Serve with homemade mashed potatoes, rice, carrots, green beans, or salad.