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
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.
