Winter pot roast recipe is big game dish with 'tender' taste

Danielle Prewett didn't like pot roast as a child.  

Yet a recipe for it is in her new cookbook. Why? As the Texas chef revealed to Fox News Digital, it has everything to do with her acquired love of hunting, which she picked up from her husband.

"I married a hunter – and so he was bringing in a lot of what some people would consider exotic meats, like wild ducks, rabbits and venison," Prewett said. "And I just thought it was really fascinating that I had an opportunity to work with a protein that you couldn't buy at a grocery store. And so that was kind of my initial hook into cooking wild game." (See the video at the top of this article.) 

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Game meat is a key ingredient in her winter pot roast recipe from her debut cookbook, "Wild + Whole."

The cookbook is divided into recipes from each of the four seasons. The book was two-and-a-half years in the making, Prewett said.

It took that long to come together because Prewett wrote the recipes during the seasons in which they appear in the book.

Prewett said it was important to her "that it felt like you were being in that immersive experience whenever you were flipping through the chapters in the book."

She added, "This was very much a cookbook that was rooted in finding the ingredients outdoors in nature as much as I could."

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Prewett found that to be true with her winter pot roast recipe, which she alternatively titled "Not My Momma's Pot Roast."

Said Prewett, "I actually really embraced braising and slow-cooking meats when working with wild game because it's an animal that's naturally really tough. So I wanted to find a way to take that same nostalgic recipe, but just figure out how to make it better, frankly."

In a description of the recipe in her cookbook, Prewett wrote: "As an adult, I made the shocking discovery that pot roast can, in fact, be truly delicious and knew I had to try my hand at the dish using venison. The result was tender, succulent and flavorful – truly not my momma's pot roast."

Prewett's recipe also allows for substitutes.

Serves 4 to 6

1 medium celery root (about 1 pound)

21⁄2 pounds venison or beef neck, shoulder, osso buco or oxtails (see note)

Kosher salt and freshly ground

Black pepper

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1 tablespoon beef tallow or neutral oil, such as avocado or grapeseed

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 leek, sliced and rinsed well to remove any grit

2 parsnips or carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons dry white wine

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1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Several thyme and/or rosemary sprigs

6 cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought

Note: If using beef instead of venison, choose a chuck roast or trimmed brisket. The only difference will be a shorter cook time, 2 to 3 hours.

1 1⁄2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 cup quick-cooking polenta

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1⁄4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped cutting

Celery, celery leaves or fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

1. Make the pot roast: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Peel the celery root, then chop it into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

3. Cut the venison into large (4- to 6-inch) chunks across the grain and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the tallow in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the meat, working in batches if needed, and cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.

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4. If the pan looks dry, add more oil, then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to turn golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few additional minutes, until soft. Stir in the parsnips, celery and celery root and cook for a few minutes more. Stir in the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, less than 1 minute. Add the wine and lemon juice. Allow the alcohol to boil off, then stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

5. Drop the herb sprigs into the pot. Return the chunks of venison to the pot and pour in enough stock to come about halfway up the sides of the meat (you may not need all the stock).

6. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven. Braise for about 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. About three-quarters of the way through the cooking time, set the lid slightly ajar so the liquid can reduce and flip the meat if the top looks dried out. (If the liquid reduces too much, you can add a splash of stock to the pot.)

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7. Meanwhile, make the polenta: Combine 1 1⁄2 cups water, the milk, salt and pepper in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a soft boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the polenta and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan. Let the polenta rest, uncovered, to thicken; serve hot.

8. Make the gremolata: In a small bowl, stir together the cutting celery, lemon zest, Parmesan and garlic. Set aside until ready to serve.

9. Spoon the polenta onto serving plates. Top with the pot roast and vegetables, garnish with the gremolata and serve.

This recipe is owned by Danielle Prewett and was shared with Fox News Digital. It appears in "Wild + Whole" (Rodale Books).