Recipe for Hearty Fall Game Stew with Mash and A Puff Crisp
While traveling recently, I had one of the best meals at a pub in a small town. This game meat stew was like coming home after a walk in the woods. It was comforting. It was like a hug in a bowl. At once familiar but new. This recipe for Hearty Fall Game Stew with Mash and A Puff Crisp is my homage to a meal that I keep thinking of with the same fondness as waking up in our Air BnB on a sheep farm to the clouds lightly obscuring the mountains in the distance. Hopefully, this easy-to-make meal warms you on cool evenings. It’s easy to freeze and keeps well too. So, keep those leftovers for a fast and hearty meal on another day too.
Recipe for Hearty Fall Game Stew with Mash and A Puff Crisp
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Method
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- 1 to 2 (1 lb. / 0.5 kg) Elk osso-bucco
- 1 lb. (0.5 kg) elk stewing meat
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) neutral oil
- 2 tsp. salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- ¼ cup (31 g) flour
- 3 carrots roughly chopped
- 1 can (473 ml) lager or ale beer
- 3 cups (750 ml) beef stock
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire
- ¼ cup (43 g) dark chocolate
To Serve
- 3 to 5 potatoes, cooked mash-style
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 tbsp. garlic butter melted
- Kosher salt to taste
**You can use any red meat you wish for this recipe, sub beef, venison, or even lamb
- Season the meat with salt and pepper on all sides. Prepare the vegetables by washing and peeling as needed. If the stewing meat is smaller, you may need to skewer it or use a grill topper to ensure it doesn’t fall through.
- Preheat your grill to high using two burners, and to medium or so with the others. Place a cast iron dutch oven or casserole over the medium burners to heat.
- Sear the meat over direct heat on the grids while you cook the onion and celery in the dutch oven with oil. Once the onion and celery are nearly cooked through, add the garlic, cooking for another 30 seconds or so. Transfer the meat into the cooking vessel with the onion and celery. Season with onion and garlic powder, and dust with the flour. Cook for a few minutes before adding the carrots.
- Pour over the beer and stock, mixing thoroughly, then top with bay leaves. Cover with a lid and cook on med-low, for around 2 hours, checking periodically to ensure a simmer and nothing is sticking to the bottom. Once the stew beings to thicken, taste and season with Worcestershire sauce and dark chocolate.
- Cook until the meat shreds easily with a light touch and the liquid has thickened to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Remove the Fall Game Stew from the heat and allow it to rest and cool a bit.
- Place a baking stone onto the grill to preheat or prepare a baking sheet and preheat the grill to 400ºF (200ºC). Unroll a sheet of premade puff pastry. Using your largest circle cookie cutter, cut several rounds from the puff. Brush with melted garlic butter.
- Bake the puff for 10 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden, but not burnt. While waiting for the puffs, carefully use tongs to remove the bones and bay leaves from the stew before serving.
- Serve the stew on a bed of mashed potatoes with a puff for garnish.
This recipe for Hearty Fall Game Stew with Mash and A Puff Crisp is filling and soothing. It truly brings to mind the things you find most reassuring and relaxing. Serving this after a day of outdoor play in the cold or damp will surely be the perfect end to your day. What are the most comforting barbecue recipes you make? Share your barbecue comfort food recipes, ideas, and photos on our social pages like Facebook and TikTok, using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrill.
Happy Grilling!
Assemble your ingredients
Season the meat with salt and pepper
Sear the meat while cooking the vegetables in the Dutch oven
Season the stew meat, then add the flour and cook for a few minutes
Add the liquids and set to simmer
Remove from heat once the liquid has thickened and meat shreds easily
Serve with mashed potato and a garlic-puff
I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.
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Assemble your ingredients
Season the meat with salt and pepper
Sear the meat while cooking the vegetables in the Dutch oven
Season the stew meat, then add the flour and cook for a few minutes
Add the liquids and set to simmer
Remove from heat once the liquid has thickened and meat shreds easily
Serve with mashed potato and a garlic-puff