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Highland Venison Casserole with Chestnuts

Highland Venison Casserole with Chestnuts is a traditional Scottish recipe for a classic casserole of venison with vegetables, and chestnuts in a beer-based broth thickened with oatmeal that's topped with sliced bread before finishing and serving and that makes an excellent dish for Hogmanay celebrations. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Scottish version of: Highland Venison Casserole with Chestnuts.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

105 minutes

Total Time:

125 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Game RecipesVenison RecipesBread RecipesVegetable RecipesScottish Recipes


Ingredients:

500g lean venison, cubed
2 tbsp fine oatmeal
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
600ml good-quality beer
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
3 juniper berries, crushed
3 generous pinches of ground allspice
150g shallots, peeled
250g baby carrots, scrubbed and trimmed
100g baby turnips, scraped
1 baguette
100g peeled and cooked chestnuts (use tinned or vacuum packed for convenience)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Method:

Combine the cubed venison and oatmeal in a bowl and toss to coat the meat. Shake off the excess then heat the oil in a heat-proof casserole, add the venison and quickly brown before removing with a slotted spoon and setting aside. Now add the onions to the casserole and fry over low heat until sot and golden brown (about 8 minutes).

Stir in the beer along with the thyme, juniper berries and allspice then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then stir in the shallots, carrots and turnips along with the venison and any meat juices. Return the mixture to a boil then secure a lid and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C. Cook for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the meat is tender.

In the meantime, slice the baguette into pieces about 3cm thick. Toast these under a hot grill. When the Breads is ready, stir the chestnuts into the casserole and arrange the bread slices on top. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, for a further 5 minutes.

Serve hot, in the casserole dish.

Find more Hogmanay/New Year Recipes Here