Venison is a lovely lighter alternative to beef in a casserole recipe as the meat is light and tender when it’s cooked slowly. Try it in this slow cooker recipe with Boulangere potatoes for a really special dish.
HOW TO MAKE VENISON CASSEROLE WITH BOULANGERE POTATOES
Ingredients
For the venison
- 4tbsp olive oil
- 1.3kg (3lb) venison shoulder, cut into chunks
- 1 bottle red wine
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 6 shallots, peeled and halved if large
- 3 carrots, cut into chunks
- 1tbsp potato flour
- 200g (7oz) button mushrooms
For the potatoes
- 1kg (2lb 4oz) Vivaldi potatoes, washed
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- few bay leaves
Method
Heat a non-stick pan and with half of the oil, season the venison and fry in batches until brown on all sides, adding more oil as necessary. Once all of the venison is cooked, deglaze the pan by adding 150ml water and scraping Put the venison in a bowl along with the wine, juices and thyme sprigs. Leave for 1 hour or up to 24 hours to marinate in the fridge.
In a large casserole dish, cook the shallots, carrots and mushrooms in 2tbsp of oil for 5 minutes or until they begin to brown. Stir through the potato flour for 1 minute. Add the venison and marinade, cover and cook over a very gentle heat on the stove for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the potatoes (use a food processor if you have one), keeping the skin on for extra fibre. Layer the potatoes and onion in a casserole dish, very lightly brushed with olive oil. Pour over the stock, tuck in the bay leaves and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until tender. Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving, to absorb all the juices. Serve with braised red cabbage.