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- 4 pounds potatoes, preferably small reds
Venison and morels, with their aura of woods and wilderness, are natural complements. If you don't
have access to morels, use whatever mushrooms are available.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F, unless you will be cooking the stew on the stovetop. Soak the dried
morels in one cup of very hot water.
Trim venison, if necessary, and cut into fairly
uniform pieces, about 3/4" - 1". Mix together flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Dredge the venison
in the flour mix. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil
and brown the venison well, in small batches. Add oil as necessary for each batch. Put browned
meat in dutch oven or stockpot.
Finely chop onions, carrots, garlic and ham (or bacon). Melt
butter or heat oil in skillet used for browning. Add carrots, onions and ham and cook over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir
into browned meat.
Drain the morels, saving the soaking water, and coarsely chop them.
Add to the meat. If the soaking liquid has any dirt or grit in it, strain through a paper towel or
coffee filter, and add to the meat.
Add water, wine, bay leaves, thyme and, if using, juniper
berries which have been slightly crushed and tied into cheesecloth or put into a non-reactive
teaball. (This allows the juniper berries to be easily removed later).
Bring stew to a
boil, cover, and put in preheated oven. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very
tender. For the stovetop version, adjust heat to a slow simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Stir
in the potatoes and cook for another 30 minutes, or until meat and potatoes are tender.
While the stew cooks, prep the potatoes. Scrub but don't peel, and if using small reds, pierce
skin with a fork and leave whole. For larger potatoes, cut into pieces about the size of a small
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