1venison leg roastlike top or bottom round, about 1.25 lbs
¾cupchanterelle mushroom duxellesplus another 2 tablespoons for the optional sauce
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1large egg yolk
2tablespoonsbreadcrumbslike panko
2tablespoonsmilk
For the dripping sauce
⅓cupheavy creamoptional, but nice
2cupsmeat stock
2tablespoonswhite riceSee note
2tablespoonswhite wine
Caul fatas needed for wrapping the pot roast (optional)
1teaspoonfresh thymechopped
Instructions
First, make the stuffing. Combine the breadcrumbs with the milk and soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Mix the egg and duxelles, then squeeze the milk from the breadcrumbs and mix in. If you want to make the pan sauce, heat the rice in a small pot with 1 cup of the stock and simmer while you do the rest of the prep, for about 30 minutes or until completely soft and overcooked. Reserve the cooked rice.
Preheat the oven to 250 F. Make an even slit down the middle of the roast, then open it up like a book. Pound the meat lightly with a meat mallet on both sides, then season with the salt, pepper and thyme. Put the meat somewhere for a moment while you lay the caul out on the cutting board, then put the sheet of venison on the caul, top evenly with the chanterelle stuffing, and roll up the meat like a jelly roll. Trim the caul to an appropriate size to wrap the meat, then wrap it up tightly like a package, making sure the caul overlaps to help it seal, with the seam facing down.
Put the meat roll in a baking dish, cover with parchment and ½ cup of meat stock, and bake for 3.5 hours. Remove the pot roast from the oven, allow to cool for 15 minutes, covered, then cover with cling film to hold in moisture and refrigerate to allow the meat to set, a few hours or preferably overnight. If you don't chill the meat after cooking it may fall apart when you try to slice it.
When the meat has chilled, remove it from the dish and harvest the pan drippings, scraping any meat jelly stuck to the meat off with a spoon. Reserve the drippings for the sauce.
For the sauce, combine the pan drippings with the reserved rice, the remaining ½ cup of stock and the cream, then bring to a simmer, and puree in a highspeed blender. Transfer to a small pot, and stir in the reserved mushroom duxelles. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then reserve and keep warm.
To plate you have a couple options, cut into slices and brown in a pan, or cut into slices and reheat in the oven gently, and then drench in the sauce. Both ways are good, but gently warmed up keeps everything as tender as possible.
Notes
On using rice as a binderI use rice as a binder here for the sauce since it has a neutral flavor, and I was cooking for someone who was gluten free. Feel free to substitute flour and make a roux if you like.