Roast Venison, Ancient Roman Style

venison hind leg on cutting board
Photo by Hank Shaw

This is a dish I am adapting from that most famous of cookbooks from Ancient Rome: Apicius. The translation I am using oddly includes corn starch (!), which was not discovered until long after the discovery of the New World, so I am omitting it here.

Roast haunch of venison with herbs on a cutting board.
5 from 7 votes

Roast Haunch of Venison

This venison roast is typical of Roman meats: Sweet, salty, herby. I like using the whole hind leg off a whitetail doe or pronghorn for this recipe.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 10 people
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 4 to 6 pound venison roast
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon rue, minced (If you can't find rue, use rosemary)
  • 1 tablespoon lovage, minced (If you can't find lovage, use celery leaves)
  • 1 tablespoon oregano, minced
  • 1 tablespoon mint, minced
  • 1 tablespoon , parsley, minced
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 minced medium white or yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 cup sweet wine

Instructions 

  • Salt venison roast about 12 hours. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven or pellet smoker to 325°F.
  • In a pan, add olive oil, then brown venison on all sides. When browned, place in an ovenproof roasting pan in oven, ideally on a roasting rack. How long depends on the roast. If you have an internal probe thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the roast. Pull the meat when it hits about 130°F or even a little less. Set the meat on a cutting board to rest, and grind black pepper over it.

SAUCE

  • While the venison is cooking, in a mortar and pestle, mash all the herbs together with the garlic and a pinch of salt until it's a paste. You could also use a food processor.
  • When the roast is resting, add flour to the pan to make a roux. Stir and cook over medium heat until its tan-to-brown. I put the pan on the stovetop over two burners set on medium low for this.
  • Add the onion and cook until it's translucent. Add sweet wine and stir it into the roux, which will seize up a bit. If it's too thick, add some water or stock. Reduce heat to medium, add fish sauce, honey, then the herb-garlic mixture. Let it cook down. The sauce should be the consistency of melted ice cream. Think turkey gravy. Taste to adjust for seasoning; fish sauce is very salty, so you will probably not need more salt.
  • Slice the roast thinly, lay down sauce, and serve.

Notes

You can also do the browning step for the venison on a grill. 

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!