Sautéed reindeer, mashed Lappish potatoes, and cranberry sauce

Instructions

1. Sautéed reindeer: Thaw the reindeer meat in cold water for about half an hour. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Cut the white and light green parts of the leek into thin slices, peel and finely chop the onion. Melt a knob of butter in a pan and gently sweat the onions in a pot until soft.
   
   At the same time, heat rapeseed oil and butter in the pot and brown the reindeer meat in batches; it’s sufficient that the meat gets a bit of color on the surface as it will cook through in the oven. Dump the softened onions into the pot after you’ve browned all the meat. Then add water and cream to the pot and bring to a boil. Also add the game stock, season with salt and black pepper. Place the pot in the oven without a lid; it can stay in the oven for about half an hour, or even longer if you have the time. The meat only gets better while hanging out there. Meanwhile, make mashed potatoes and cranberry slush.
2. Mash: Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water. Pour off the water when the potatoes are cooked; the puikula potato falls apart easily, don’t stress about it, we’re making mash after all. Mash the potatoes with, for example, a ladle if you don’t own a potato masher, add warmed milk and also throw in a good knob of butter. Toss a bit and cover with a lid to keep warm for a while.
3. Cranberry slush: Measure water and sugar into a small saucepan, boil for a few minutes. Let the mixture cool down. Blend frozen cranberries and the sugar syrup in a tall vessel using a hand blender. Spoon into a dish. The frozen cranberry slush is a perfect match for hearty creamy sauté; it refreshes the mouth and is at least as good a companion for reindeer as its sour cousin, the lingonberry.