This recipe is courtesy of Hailey Malepeai from Haiely’s Wild Kitchen. Hailey is a lifelong Idahoan, hunter, angler and chef focused on wild game and local ingredients.

Recently, my neighbor wanted to begin elk hunting. I would consider him an expert morel mushroom forger, but a beginner elk hunter. We actually became friends when I saw him drying an impressive haul of morels in his driveway, and I couldn’t help but stop and introduce myself.

Our family friendship blossomed and later that fall we were hunting together. While we were focused on him getting his first elk, as luck would have it – I ended up shooting the only elk on the last evening of the season with 30 minutes of shooting light left. After working all night, we got the last load of meat back to the truck at 6 a.m. the following morning. Sharing the achievement of the harvest, teaching him to field dress the elk, and packing out the meat – a lifelong friendship has been forged.

Our families continue to hunt, recreate, and eat together. This recipe was inspired by our friendship and our shared love of morel and elk hunting.

Want to learn more about elk in Idaho? Discover More >

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 - 2 lbs elk or deer roast

• 3 cups morel mushrooms (if you are lucky enough to have them, if not any mushroom works!)

• 1 onion, sliced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

• 1 TBS miso

• 1.5 cups chicken or beef broth

• 1.5 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream

• 2 - 3 TBS cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water to thicken up the broth)

• Fresh dill to garnish

• Salt and pepper

• 1 TBS olive oil

• Egg noodles to serve (or substitute for Idaho mashed potatoes)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your instant pot with olive oil. Season your roast liberally with salt and pepper all over. Sear your meat on all sides until browned. Slide the meat to the side of the pan, and add the onions and garlic. Cook until they gain a little color, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour in the red wine and the Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a minute or two to reduce. Meanwhile, stir the miso paste into the broth. I love using the broth paste — it’s super easy to make your own broth on demand. Carefully pour the broth/miso mixture into the pan and stir well to dissolve the miso. Once combined, tuck the mushrooms into the amalgam of goodness. Secure your lid and set the pressure cooker for 50 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, carefully release the pressure. Add the cornstarch slurry to the broth to thicken in sauté mode. Remove about 1/2 cup of the warm broth into a bowl and combine with the yogurt or sour cream - it helps so the cream doesn’t curdle in the hot broth. Cut your roast into chunks and return to the pan. Taste for seasoning and adjust with more salt and pepper.

Serve over warm egg noodles (I season my noodles with a little dried, minced onion and equal parts butter and olive oil) with a liberal sprinkling of dill. Revel in your hard-earned meal of morels and enjoy!