sautéed reindeer — Sápmi, Norway

Sautéed reindeer is built from thin shavings of reindeer meat, seared hard in butter or reindeer fat in a heavy pan and then simmered briefly in a splash of water or stock until cooked through. Allspice, juniper berries or black pepper are worked in toward the end, giving the pan a dark, slightly sweet edge. In Norway, the dish is reported in Sápmi communities of the north, where reindeer herding is part of the local economy, and it travels from there into wider Norwegian home cooking wherever reindeer meat is available. To prepare it, the meat is sliced very thin, sometimes while still partly frozen to make the cutting easier, then seared in batches over high heat so it browns rather than stews. A small amount of water or stock is poured in, the pan is covered, and the meat finishes cooking in its own juices for a short while longer. It is seasoned with salt, pepper and often allspice or juniper just before serving. Cooks differ on details: some render bacon fat into the pan alongside butter, others add sliced mushroom or onion, and some stir in a little cream at the end for a rounder sauce. It is served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry preserve, sometimes alongside pickled cucumber, and the same base recipe travels under local variations across the reindeer-herding region without one version standing over the others.