venison Archives - The Semiconservative Granola Girl

Ground Venison Recipe Round Up

April 15, 2020 by Jeanmarie

I don’t know about you, but a lot has changed for us in the last few weeks. We are now homeschooling our kids (you can read about that here) and I haven’t been on a “real” grocery shopping trip since March 14th. So we have been relying a lot on our well stocked freezers. (Yes, plural.) And our freezers are full of venison. I felt like it might be time for a Ground Venison Recipe Round Up especially since I just recently published my fifteenth(!) ground venison recipe.

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Ground Venison Recipe Round Up: 15 recipes for ground venison including home style venison recipes, Italian-style venison recipes, breakfast ground venison recipes and Taco Tuesday ground venison recipes

Ground Venison Recipe Round Up: 15 Recipes for Ground Meat

Home Style Ground Venison

Ground Venison Recipe Round Up: 15 recipes for ground venison including home style venison recipes

Venison Cobbler

Venison Cobbler is my daughter’s new favorite venison recipe (after venison shepherd’s pie). This is a gravy and veggie filled venison casserole topped with corn bread.

Venison Shepherd’s Pie

We eat this one a lot. It’s a clear favorite. It’s probably because mashed potatoes and gravy are always a winner, so why not bake them all together in one casserole dish. Homemade gravy for the win.

Grandma Helen’s Salisbury Steak

As long as we are talking about meat and gravy, we might as well also talk about Grandma Helen’s Salisbury Steak which in truth is no longer Grandma Helen’s except that I follow her directions for the meat patties, her recipe calls for a jarred gravy. But not in this house. See Shepherd’s Pie above.

Taco Tuesday

Venison Tacos

How about Taco Tuesday? How about skipping the little packet and making those tacos with venison and from scratch. Yes, please. We eat this meat in shells, on tortillas, over chips or in salad. No matter your vehicle of choice, homemade is always the way to go. And it only takes two minutes longer than that package does because you have to chop an onion and some pepper. If venison is not your thing, any ground meat with work.

Taco Venison Burgers

Perhaps, your Taco Tuesday calls for a burger. We’ve got you covered there too. This burger uses a Frito style corn chip and a binding agent. And of course two types of cheese. Top it with Homemade Salsa and Homemade Guacamole.

Burger Inspired

Venison Cheeseburger Salad

As long as we’re talking about burgers, sometimes the perfect way to have a burger is with bacon on a salad. Seasoned ground venison, cooked with bacon, onions, and mushrooms served on a salad, topped with Homemade Russian Dressing.

Bacon Cheeseburger Venison Zucchini Boats

bacon cheeseburger stuffed zucchini boats

Around here we specialize in mixing up the vehicle. Some people like their burgers on rolls, some in salad (see above) and others like to scoop the seeds out of zucchini and bake for a fusion of seasonal vegetables along with seasoned ground venison and grated cheese.

Venison Michigan Sauce

Venison Michigan Sauce sort of falls in the burger category. This is actually a semi-sweet ground meat chili sauce used to top hot dogs or burgers. It’s a delicacy of the Champlain Valley in New York and perhaps (based on my research) based on the Coney Island Dogs. At any rate, it’s delicious and now that I am talking about it, I feel like it needs to be on our menu this week.

Three Bean Venison Chili

Of course chili is a staple of the ground meat world. This version is not too spicy (although you certainly can add more to taste) with kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans. Yum.

Italian(ish) Ground Venison Recipes

Ground Venison Recipe Round Up: 15 recipes for ground venison including Italian style venison recipes

Super Easy Venison Tomato Sauce

Just like our tacos, this sauce is so easy, you should never open a jar. Brown the meat with onions and garlic, added a can or two of crushed tomatoes. Add spices. Simmer 20 minutes or 2 hours. Then make…

Baked Eggplant

This is a lasagna style casserole without the noodles which means it can be totally gluten free. It’s simply layers of eggplant, sauce and cheese baked until the eggplant is soft and the cheese is melted.

Traditional Venison Sausage Meatballs

My husband loves meatballs, so we make this version using ground venison sausage and then add it to the Venison Tomato Sauce (it’s not a meat redundancy).

Whole30 Venison Sausage Meatballs

And we make this version of venison meatballs if we are doing a Whole30. Instead of bread crumbs, finely ground mushrooms are added. Which as you might guess also adds a lot of flavor.

Ground Venison for Breakfast

Ground Venison Recipe Round Up: 15 recipes for ground venison including breakfast venison recipes

Venison Sausage, Artichoke and Spinach Egg Bake

Spinach, Artichoke and Sausage Egg Bake | Whole30 | Gluten Free | Dairy Free | Whole30 Breakfast Bake

Breakfast for dinner? Or breakfast for breakfast? This is a breakfast casserole of ground venison sausage, artichoke hearts, spinach and potatoes. You can make it with or without cheese. If you make it without it is Whole30 compliant.

Venison Sausage Gravy Breakfast Bowls

Our local diner makes delicious sausage gravy and biscuits. Here we make it with venison sausage and serve it over tater tots and eggs. Our original recipe is made using venison sausage, but we have mostly been ordering ground venison, so our new recipe is made from ground venison, sausage spices and then with gravy. It’s also Whole30. Both are delicious.

So Many Ground Venison Options

Ground Venison Recipes | 15 recipes for ground deer meat | Whole30 options | Ground Venison Dinner Recipes | Ground Venison Breakfast Recipes

Right now, people are relying heavily on the food they have around. So many of these recipes are perfect for that because the ingredients are freezer foods. If you don’t a ground venison recipe here that you would like to see, please let me know.

If you are looking for other great venison options, check out my Venison Recipe Index Page. Recipes are listed by cut of meat.

Whole30 Venison Sausage Gravy

April 8, 2020 by Jeanmarie

Originally published May 17, 2017. Updated April 8, 2020.

In these days of sequester, there is plenty of time to eat a good breakfast. We eat eggs pretty much everyday. It’s really just a matter of how we will eat our eggs. As I was preparing next week’s post, I realized I needed to update this Venison Sausage Gravy Breakfast Bowl Recipe. We don’t get prepared venison sausage from our deer processor anymore. It seemed we would always run out of plain ground venison but have tons of venison sausage left. But just because you don’t have venison sausage doesn’t mean you can’t make Whole30 Venison Sausage Gravy.

Sausage Gravy

Every Sunday, we got to the little diner in our town after church. Even now, we are continuing to give them our business, just in the form of take-out. If you have the ability to do that, you should definitely continue to patronize your local restaurants, they are struggling. Last Sunday when it was my turn to pick up, I was the only order waiting and one was on the grill. This is a diner that seats about 50 and most tables are full all morning on the weekends. But I digress.

The reason I brought up the diner is because of their sausage gravy. I am not crazy about traditional sausage gravy and biscuits (the biscuits don’t do anything for me), but I do love a breakfast bowl with the sausage gravy over potatoes. That’s how we serve it here and part of how we make this Whole30 Venison Sausage Gravy breakfast bowl.

It is fairly easy to make venison breakfast sausage. Simply brown the meat in a cast iron skillet (We love our 12 inch Lodge skillet) and add some sausage-y spices. We use caraway seed, salt, white pepper and ground sage. We add butter or ghee (for Whole30) to the pan because venison is such a lean meat.

To make the venison gravy, add arrow root to the cooked meat and seasoning. Allow it to be absorbed into the meat. Slowly add beef broth allowing that to absorb into the arrow root first making a paste and then continuing until all the broth is in the pan. Bring the gravy to a simmer and continue cooking until it has thickened.

Whole30 Venison Sausage Gravy Breakfast Bowls

Breakfast bowls are a great alternative to biscuits and great because there are so many options. We love to use tater puffs cooked in the air fryer, along with yolky fried eggs. If you are looking for Whole30 options, you can use hash brown potatoes (be sure to read the ingredients, many commercially produced frozen potatoes add sugar. We like Alexia.) or homemade roasted potatoes like Everything Roasted Potatoes.

However you decide to make your potatoes, just build your bowl in layers. Potatoes on the bottom, some Whole30 Venison Sausage Gravy, eggs prepared your way and then topped with a little more sausage gravy. It’s making me hungry just thinking about it.

If you are looking for a more traditional sausage gravy, you can check out the original recipe here. You can always combine the two using the seasoning from this recipe and the flour from the original Go ahead. Make it yours.

Whole30 Venison Sausage Gravy

Ground Venison with sausage spices browned and prepared with gravy.

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Prep Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Whole30

Servings 4 people

Equipment

cast iron skillet
measuring spoons
glass measuring cup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or ghee use ghee for Whole30
1 pound ground venison
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon ground sage
3 tablespoons arrow root powder
2 cups beef broth

Instructions

Melt butter or ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Add the meat and seasoning (caraway, salt, pepper, sage) and cook until meat has browned. Stirring occasionally to break the meat up.
Add the arrow root to the meat and allow it to soak into the meat and fat.
Slowly add the beef broth. Allowing the broth to absorb while stirring to make sure the arrow root that is on the bottom of the skillet is brought into the broth.
Bring to simmer and reduce heat until gravy has thickened.

Keyword Gluten free, grain free, Locavore, Paleo, Whole30

Venison Cobbler

March 11, 2020 by Jeanmarie

I knew I had a winner on my hands with this ground venison casserole when my 10-year-old daughter asked if she could have it in her lunch the next day. Venison Cobbler is kind like a Venison Shepherd’s Pie or a venison pot pie except it has a cornbread topping instead of potatoes or pie crust. And it’s really delicious.

Venison Cobbler | ground venison with vegetables in a creamy gravy, topped with cornbread | ground venison recipe | deer recipe | ground venison casserole recipe

Venison Cobbler Filling

I got the idea for this recipe from a ground venison cook book that my husband got me for Christmas. I loved the idea of the topping, but the filling in the original recipe had tomatoes in it and I knew my kids would never go for it. So I thought about just using the Venison Shepherd Pie filling. But then I thought, what if I make the gravy creamier by adding milk.

Yessssss! Venison Cobbler is born. It’s got a number of steps, so I am not going to call this an easy weeknight meal. But I have made the filling on Sunday, covered it with foil and put it in the fridge. On the day we are going to eat it, I mix up the cornbread and throw it in the oven.

Venison Cobbler | ground venison with vegetables in a creamy gravy, topped with cornbread | ground venison recipe | deer recipe | ground venison

So it starts with a mushroom and onion gravy, In a cast iron skillet (we like this 12 inch one from Lodge), brown the ground venison in a little added fat, like olive oil. When the meat is about half done, add chopped onions and chopped mushrooms. When the meat is fully cooked and the onions and mushrooms have cooked down (5-7 minutes), add butter to melt. Then, slowly add flour, a tablespoon or so at a time. With each addition of flour, let it fully absorb.

Your meat mixture should have a sort of paste-like consistency from the added flour. Slowly add the beef broth, letting each addition of broth be fully absorbed into the flour until it is smooth. Add the milk, Worcester sauce, salt, pepper and veggies. Simmer to let the gravy thicken.

The beauty of making your filling in a cast iron skillet is that you actually can finish it in the skillet if you are making it the same day you will eat it. If you are not eating it the same day, I recommend transferring the filling to a 9 x 13 baking dish or two 8 x 8 baking dishes. (Two 8 x 8 = one for now, one for later. Cover well and freeze without the topping for up to three months.)

Venison Cobbler Topping

Preheat the oven to 375º F. The next step is mix is to mix the cornbread topping. Growing up, my mother always made cornbread from scratch; however, my husband prefers the Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, so while I do almost EVERYTHING else in my life from scratch (Helloooo, Close to Home Living), this one I concede on. Do what makes your family happy.

If you are using a box of corn muffin mix, you will need two to cover. (If you are doing 8 x 8 pans you will need one each.) Mix the cornbread according to the directions and then spread over your filling.

Cover with aluminum foil. I like to spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray so that it doesn’t stick (as much). Bake for half an hour covered. Then bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

The full pan makes about 8 servings, so we used the leftovers in lunches during the week.

What’s for Dinner?

I don’t know about you. But in these dog-days of March it still seems like soup and casserole season, so why not make a Venison Cobbler. If you are into weekend meal prep, go ahead and make up the filling. I have made it on Sunday and then baked it on Tuesday. I get home a little later on Tuesday, so it is great to know that I can just come home and thrown it in the oven. In fact, that is totally my plan for this afternoon!

If you are looking for more great venison recipes, we have lots! Just check out our Venison Recipe Index Page. They are all there!

Venison Cobbler

Venison Cobbler is ground venison and veggies in a creamy gravy, topped with cornbread.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Locavore

Servings 8 people

Equipment

cast iron skillet
knife
measuring tools
wooden spoon
13 x 9 baking dish or two 8 x 8 baking dishes
aluminum foil

Ingredients

filling

1 pound ground venison
1 medium onion chopped
8 ounces mushrooms diced, about 2 cups
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
2 cups beef broth
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon Worcester Sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 16 ounce package of frozen mixed vegetables

topping

2 8.5 ounce boxes of corn muffin mix
2 eggs
⅔ cup milk

Instructions

Filling

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a heated cast iron skillet, brown the ground venison over medium heat. You may wish to add a little oil to the pan depending on how lean the meat is.
When the meat is about half cooked through, add onion and mushrooms to the meat and continue to cook, stirring periodically to ensure that everything is cooking evenly.
Add butter to the meat mixture. Stir until melted.
Slowly add the flour, stirring so that it is absorbed as it is added.
Once the flour is fully absorbed into the meat mixture, slowly add the broth, about a half cup at a time. Stir until it the mixture is smooth.
Add the milk. Reduce the heat and simmer until the gravy begins to thicken.
Add the veggies.
Transfer the mixture to one 9 x 13 baking dish or divide evenly into two 8 x 8 baking dishes.

Topping

Prepare the corn muffin mix according to the direction on the box. Spread evenly over the top of the venison-veggie mixture.
Cover with foil (you may wish to spray it with non-stick spray so it doesn't stick).
Bake half an hour with the foil on. Remove foil. Back 10-15 minutes longer until the gravy is bubbling and the cornbread topping is golden brown.

Notes

Save a dish and leave the mixture in the cast iron skillet. Top with corn bread and bake in the skillet.

Keyword Locavore, venison

Whole30 Everything Venison Schnitzel

February 19, 2020 by Jeanmarie

We have been making venison schnitzel for years. The key to a good schnitzel is thin cutlets that are triple dredged in breading. And, of course that usually means flour. And it’s delicious.

However, if you are looking for a Whole30 schnitzel, then you need an alternative. During our last round of Whole30, I discovered the joys of using cassava flour for breading gluten-free, grain-free foods.

And if you are going to make venison schnitzel Whole30, why not add a little everything seasoning to make it just right.

Venison Schnitzel: tender Whole30 (gluten free, grain free, dairy free) breaded venison cutlets with a little bit of everything but the bagel mixed in. | Venison Recipes | Venison Chops | Healthy Venison Recipes | Healthy Deer Recipes | Fried Venison Chops

Everything Venison Schnitzel

We love our everything seasoning around here. We regularly use Everything Seasoning Dry Rub to grill meat or to smoke meat (in our electric smoker). However, this recipe doesn’t use a regular everything seasoning because I wanted a smoother consistency. Instead of using our dry rub recipe or a store bought version, we are using granulated garlic and onion powder. That way, you get the flavor without fear of burning the dried minced garlic or onions.

The other key to this recipe (at least in making it Whole30) is cassava flour. It has a lovely silky texture which is perfect for breading. You can make it with regular flour if you prefer.

Preparing the Venison Schnitzel

Start by using a meat mallet to pound the venison chops into thin cutlets. (I like the Oxo meat tenderizer.) Your work surface will stay cleaner if you put the chops between two layers of plastic wrap and use the smooth side of the mallet.

Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper.

In a shallow baking dish, like a 9 x 13, beat the eggs. Add the meat to the beaten eggs and put aside for half an hour or more. We have let them sit for several hours before moving on.

Then in a shallow dish (pie plates work awesome for this), mix (cassava) flour, granulated garlic, onion powder, sesame seeds, mustard seeds and poppy seeds until the seeds have been distributed throughout the flour.

Dredge the meat in the flour mixture and set aside for about 10 minutes. This will allow the flour to soak in. They should start to look wet again. Dredge them again. Set aside again while you are preparing the pan.

Heat some olive oil or coconut oil in a heavy bottom skillet (like a cast iron one). Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 250º F.

Once the oil has started to smoke, you can dredge the cutlets a third time.

Add thrice (don’t you love that word!) dredged cutlets to the hot skillet. Cook on each side 3-5 minutes. I like to wait until the blood starts to puddle on the top of the cutlet before flipping. That way you get a good crisp on the bottom side without over cooking. Work in batches. Place the cooked schnitzel cutlets on the cooking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Continue to cook the rest of the cutlets.

What’s for Dinner

We love to serve this venison schnitzel with Everything Roasted Potatoes and Old School Red Cabbage, Apples and Bacon. This recipe is from Teri Turner’s Whole30 endorsed cookbook No Crumbs Left. And it is delicous.

We hope that you enjoy these Whole30 Everything Venison Schnitzel Cutlets. It’s definitely worth the effort! Looking for more great venison recipes, check out our venison page here. It is all things venison.

Whole30 Everything Venison Schnitzel

Tender breaded venison cutlets with a little bit of everything but the bagel mixed in.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

marinating time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Whole30

Servings 6 people

Equipment

cast iron skillet
spatula
shallow dish (like a pie plate)

Ingredients

2 pounds venison chops about 8
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
4 eggs beaten
1½ cups flour use cassava flour to make Whole30
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ cup coconut oil or olive oil divided

Instructions

Place chops between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound thin with a meat mallet. About 1 minute each chop to make thin cutlets about ¼ inch thick. Work in batches.
Generously salt and pepper each cutlet and set aside.
In a baking dish (like a 9 x 13), beat the eggs.
"Marinate" the pounded venison cutlets in the beaten eggs for at least half an hour, but all day is fine.
Preheat the oven to 250° and prepare a cooking sheet with parchment paper.
In a pie plate or shallow bowl, mix the dry ingredients (except salt and pepper which you have already used on the meat itself).
Dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture. Set aside (to kind of let it soak in).
After the flour mixture has soaked in (maybe 10 minutes or so), dredge the cutlets again.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet (like cast iron) over medium high heat.
Once you have dredged all the cutlets a second time, go back through and dredge for a third time.
After the third dredge, fry the triple dredged cutlets in the hot oil. Flip when the blood starts to show on the top side. (3-5 minutes on the first side, 2-3 on the second side.)
As each cutlet finished, put it on the cooking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
Half way through the process, you may need to replace the oil as it will start to get dark. I clean the pan and start again.

Keyword Gluten free, grain free, Locavore, Paleo, Whole30

Smoked Venison Steak Fajitas

October 16, 2019 by Jeanmarie

Taco Tuesday is perfect for our family. Tuesday is one of the days I get home a little later, so an easy weeknight meal of tacos or nachos or taco salad is perfect. But sometimes, Taco Tuesday needs a little change up like fajitas, like Smoked Venison Steak Fajitas.

I know, right now you are thinking, smoker on a weeknight? Well yeah, actually, we have found a few things that you can smoke in under an hour that are perfect for weeknight smoker meal. (Check out my post here.)

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Smoked Venison Steak Fajitas | Smoked Steak Fajitas | smoke the meat in your electric smoker and then add it to the veggies cooked on the stove top | Whole30 | Gluten Free | Dairy Free

Smoked Venison Steak Fajitas Preparations

If you are going to take the time to make fajitas in the smoker, then you need to make your own fajita rub which like my Venison Tacos starts with chili powder and ground cumin as the base ingredients. Then just add some Kosher salt, dried minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.

Apply the rub liberally to a pound of venison chops or steaks. Reserve at least a teaspoon of the rub for the vegetables. (If you are looking to speed this meal up, chops will cook faster because they are smaller.)

Preheat your electric smoker to 225°F and add wood chips according to the manufacturer’s directions. We like to use hickory for its smokey flavor. Allow the meat to sit at room temperature with the rub on it while your smoker comes up to temperature.

While the meat is sitting, you can start to prepare the peppers and onions. Slice an onion or two, two or three bell peppers and a jalapeño (remove the seeds for less heat). Mince 3-4 fresh garlic cloves.

Once your smoker has filled with smoke, you can add the meat to the electric smoker.

Melt 1/4 cup of butter (use ghee to make it Whole30) in a skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables and lower the temperature so they will cook slowly while the meat is in the smoker. Once the vegetables have cooked down, add the remaining rub to the peppers and onions.

Serve

Remove the venison from the smoker when the meat has reached an internal temperature of 145°F. Slice the meat into thin strips and add it to the pepper and onion mixture. Serve as desired.

We like to top our fajitas with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheese on a flour tortilla, but if you are looking to have Whole30 Fajitas, you could serve them on a lettuce wrap with guacamole and compliant salsa or you could have fajita bowls by serving the meat over rice or cauliflower rice or hash brown potatoes. The possibilities are endless. And don’t forget to save your leftovers for Whatcha’ Got Omelette or Clean Out the Fridge Breakfast Hash.

Smoked Venison Steak Fajitas

A homemade fajita rub on venison steaks or chops which are smoked in your electric smoker then served with stove top sauteed peppers and onions.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican, Whole30

Servings 4 people

Equipment

electric smoker
hickory chips
skillet

Ingredients

Fajita Dry Rub

2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp dried minced garlic
½ – 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Vegetables

2 bell peppers color of choice
1 medium red onion
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 jalapeno seeds removed if desired
¼ cup better or ghee

Smoked Venison Steak

1 lb venison steaks or chops

Instructions

Dry Rub

Add all the dry rub ingredients together in a mason jar.
Shake to mix throroghly.

Smoked Venison

Reserve 1 teaspoon of rub for the vegetables.
Apply the rub liberally to the meat on both sides. Allow to sit while the smoker comes up to temperature (225°F) and fills with smoke.
Smoke the meat for about 1 hour. Meat should reach an internal temperature of 145°F.

Vegetables

After the meat has gone in the smoker, slice the peppers and onions.
Melt butter or ghee in a skillet over medium heat.
Add onions, peppers and garlic. Saute until vegetable become soft.
When the vegetables have cooked down (about 30 minutes), add the reserved rub and turn the burner back to low. Allow vegetables to continue to warm until the meat is done.

Fajitas

After the meat comes out of the smoker, slice into strips and add to the vegetables.
Server with guacamole, salsa and cheese on tortillas or to make it Whole30, serve on lettuce wraps, cauliflower rice or over hash browns with guacamole and compliant salsa.

Keyword Dairy free, Electric Smoker, Gluten free, Whole30

Venison Shepherd’s Pie

October 2, 2019 by Jeanmarie

I’m pretty sure that in a few places here on my blog, I have mentioned that I love mashed potatoes. So, when I was in college and in the dining hall of all places, I discovered that there was such a thing as shepherd’s pie, I was immediately smitten. Fortunately, my kids love mashed potatoes too, so even though they are not keen on casseroles (sad because they are one of my comfort foods), they love Venison Shepherd’s Pie. If you’re not so big on the venison, then feel free to substitute any ground meat.

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Venison Shepherd’s Pie

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Shepherd’s Pie was developed as a way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, meat and gravy. Traditionally, it would have been served on Monday or Tuesday with Sunday dinner’s leftovers. However, in this recipe we are using ground venison and fresh mashed potatoes and gravy made from beef stock.

Preparations

Start by preparing your mashed potatoes. You’ll probably need about 4 cups of mashed potatoes which is 8-10 medium potatoes.

While your potatoes are boiling, you can begin to brown the meat. Since venison tends to be a lean meat, you may want to add a tablespoon or two of oil or butter to the pan first. Add onions and cook until soft. We brown our meat in a 12 inch cast iron skillet.

The next step is to make a roux. Add the flour to the meat. Make sure that the flour is fully absorbed into the meat and onion mixture. Slowly add the broth, allowing it to be fully absorbed into the flour and meat to begin to create gravy. Be sure there are no lumps as you add, you cannot get the lumps out later.

Once the broth has been fully added, you can allow the gravy to come to a simmer and begin to thicken. Finally, add the the mixed vegetables and remove from the heat.

Pour the meat, gravy and vegetables to a casserole dish. (I love my 2 quart oval pyrex casserole dish for shepherd’s pie. The lid makes it perfect for the freezer.)

Top with mashed potatoes. Bake until the gravy begins to bubble and the mashed potatoes begin to brown slightly about 40 minutes. Allow the dish to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

A Love for Shepherd’s Pie

“Can we have shepherd’s pie?” is a frequent question in our house. And we do love it in all forms: Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie and Turkey Shepherd’s Pie and, of course, Venison Shepherd’s Pie. But unfortunately, shepherd’s pie in any of it’s forms doesn’t make an easy weeknight meal. However, the great thing about it is that it can be made ahead a day or two or even frozen.

I will often make a shepherd’s pie as part of my weekend meal planning then I can easily throw it in the oven as soon as I get home from work. It takes a little longer to bake if you are starting from cold, but it tastes just as good.

I also sometimes make a double batch of meat and gravy and put one in the freezer. We are not crazy about how frozen mashed potatoes come out, so I will make new mashed potatoes on the weekend to put atop a defrosted casserole. Then I bake it just the same.

So we hope that you enjoy this recipe for Venison Shepherd’s pie and try some of our other Shepherd’s Pie recipes too.

Venison Shepherd’s Pie

Ground venison and vegetables in gravy topped with mashed potatoes.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Equipment

hand mixer
skillet
casserole dish
4 quart pot

Ingredients

Mashed Potatoes

8-10 potatoes
½ cup butter melted
¼ cup milk

Filling

1 pound ground venison
1 medium onion
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour use ¼ cup for thicker gravy
2 cups beef stock
10 oz frozen mixed vegetables

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mashed Potatoes

Peel and chunk potatoes. Add to salted water, heat over high heat until boiling. Boil until fork tender. About 15 minutes.
Drain potatoes and return to pot.
Use an electric hand mixer to mash potatoes.
Once potatoes are well mashed, add butter and milk. Mix well.
Set the mashed potatoes aside until you are ready to use them.

Filling

Brown the ground venison over medium heat. Venison tends to be very lean, so you may need to add a little oil to the skillet to keep it from sticking to the pan.
Add chopped onions and cook until soft. About 3 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet to melt.
Sprinkle flour over the butter, meat and onions. Stir until it is absorbed into the butter and meat.
Slowly add the beef stock. Let each addition be absorbed by the flour. Be careful to make sure that the mixture is smooth with each addition. You cannot get the lumps out later.
Once all the stock has been added, allow the gravy to simmer and thicken.
Stir in the mixed vegetables and remove from heat.

Assembling the Shepherd's Pie

Pour the meat mixture into a casserole dish.
Top with mashed potatoes.
Bake 30-45 until the gravy begins to bubble and the mashed potatoes are golden brown.

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