Venison steak bites appetizer

Ingredients

Venison back strap or tenderloin
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
High smoke-point oil
Butter
Minced garlic
Small crackers or toast (I buy some bruschetta crackers from the store)
Cheese slices (Swiss or pepper jack)
Horseradish sauce consisting of mayo, sour cream, dijon mustard, chives, powdered Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste

In a cast iron pan, heat oil so it’s just starting to smoke.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season venison with salt, pepper and garlic powder. You'll' baste with more garlic butter so don’t go overboard with the garlic powder.
Sear the venison pieces on all sides, making sure you get a good color.
When the last side is searing, place a knob of butter and tablespoon of garlic in the pan.
Using a large spoon, scoop the melted garlic butter over the venison basting it. Don’t do this for too long as you'll unevenly cook the venison.
Once basted, place the venison on a roasting tray and into the oven with a meat thermometer.
Roast to 130 degrees internal for medium rare or 140 for medium well.
Let rest until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees (145 for medium well).
While venison is roasting, mix up sauce ingredients. If you feel the sauce is too thick, use more mayo than sour cream at a 2:1 ratio.
When venison is done, let it completely cool before slicing to retain juices.
Slice to desired thickness.
Assemble the appetizer on cracker/toast starting with cheese cut to size and a venison slice on top to show its level of doneness. If doneness is not a concern, place the meat first and put the cheese on top.
If desired, broil the cheese for a very short time befoe placing to bring the oils out.
Serve on a tray with the sauce on the side, allowing guests to spoon a small dollop of sauce on top.