I love searching through the food stores and finding little gems hidden at the back of shelves, deep in cupboards or stuck at the bottom of the freezer. These little surprises can be the start of a new traditional dish, something that you'll end up cooking over and over again. Sometimes you'll find something too cook with, and you honestly have no idea where it came from or what to do with it. I love that situation. It forces me to be creative. That's one of the joys of cooking from scratch. Don't you think? So I found a vacuum sealed bag in the chest freezer labelled 'stag roll roast'. I remember the day I butchered this deer and I remember being asked by my bagging helper what to write on the bag. I looked at the meat I had just cut and replied 'roll roast'. I obviously had something in mind at the time, but six months later I'd forgotten those culinary intentions and drew a blank. I stood in the old brick larder holding the ice steaming cut of meat, wondering what the bloody hell was I going to do with it.
Roll roast eh? I guessed some bready filling would be in order. Some herbs. A rich gravy and a side of chips. A nice hearty meal for this cool spring spell we're having. I made the stuffing with toasted bread crumbs, sage, thyme, butter and sautéed onions and garlic. Slapped the old mixture over the meat, rolled and tied it then gave it roasting gently for a few hours. I cooked even more onions in the juices from the roast to make a rich gravy and served the venison with a side of crispy roast wedges. I'm not sure if it will become a food tradition I'll make each each year I hunt a deer, but I'll surely have a nice memory to recall.
Has anyone else made a rolled roast from venison?