Highland Venison Stew
This Highland Venison Stew is rich, savoury, and deeply warming, with tender chunks of venison simmered in a dark, glossy broth. Sweet carrots, earthy turnip, and potatoes round out the dish, while thyme and stout give it a distinctly robust character.
Ingredients
For the stew
- 400 gvenison shoulder or haunch, trimmed and cut into 3 cm cubes
- 6 gfine sea salt
- 2 gground black pepper
- 20 gbeef dripping or tallow
- 150 gonion, diced
- 160 gcarrots, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
- 180 gturnip, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
- 250 gwaxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 8 ggarlic, finely chopped
- 15 gtomato paste
- 250 mlgluten-free stout or dark ale
- 350 mlbeef or venison stock
- 4 gfresh thyme
- 1bay leaf
- 10 mlapple cider vinegar
To finish
- 15 gunsalted butter or ghee
- 8 gfresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Pat the venison dry with kitchen paper, then season it all over with the salt and black pepper. Prepare the onion, carrots, turnip, potatoes, and garlic before you start cooking so the browning stage goes quickly and the meat sears rather than steams.
- 2
Heat a heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef dripping or tallow, then brown the venison in 2 batches for 2-3 minutes per batch until well coloured on several sides. Do not crowd the pan; good colour builds the stew's flavour. Transfer the browned venison to a plate.
- 3
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and turnip to the same pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often and scraping up the browned bits. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more until the paste darkens slightly and smells sweet rather than raw.
- 4
Pour in the stout and simmer briskly for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to dissolve all the caramelised bits. Stir in the stock, thyme, bay leaf, and apple cider vinegar, then return the venison and any collected juices to the pot.
- 5
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover partially, and cook for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes, stir, and continue simmering uncovered for 15-18 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the venison yields easily to a knife. If the liquid reduces too quickly, add a small splash of water; the finished stew should be rich and lightly thickened, not soupy.
- 6
Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the butter or ghee and half the parsley to give the broth a glossy finish. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Let the stew rest off the heat for 5 minutes so the meat fibres relax and the flavours settle.
- 7
Ladle into warm bowls and scatter over the remaining parsley. Serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •For a true 60-minute version, use venison from the haunch or loin end, which cooks faster than shank or neck.
- •If your venison is very lean, ghee gives a better mouthfeel than butter and suits a paleo-style menu better.
- •Choose a waxy potato so the pieces keep their shape during the short simmer.
- •The stew can be made a few hours ahead; like most braises, the flavour deepens as it sits.
Background
Venison has long been associated with the Scottish Highlands, where deer have been hunted and cooked in hearty, warming dishes for centuries. Modern Highland-style stews often pair game with root vegetables and dark ale or stout, reflecting the rugged climate and traditional pantry of the region.
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