Venison Shepherd's Pie

Venison Shepherd's Pie

While this British casserole is usually made with lamb, today we decided to make this Venison Shepherd's Pie with tender and lean venison.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

For The Potato Topping

  • 1 1/2 lbs russet potates, peeled and diced
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

For The Venison Filling

  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/4 cups diced carrots
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground venison
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Instructions
 

For The Potato Topping

  • In a large pot add diced potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil then bring down to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and place into a bowl. Add milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Set aside.

For The Meat Filling

  • Preheat your oven to 400ºF. In a large skillet over medium-heat add the vegetable oil and onion and carrots. Cook about 5 minutes and add the venison,salt, and pepper and cook through.
  • Add the butter and sprinkle with the flour. Cook the flour for about 2 minutes and add the tomato paste, chicken brother, Worcestershire sauce, dried rosemary, and dried thyme. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
  • Add frozen peas to the mixture and add to meat mixture. Transfer to a 13x9-inch glass pan. Top with the potato mixture and spread evenly, making sure to spread the potatoes all the way to the edges to create a seal. Bake until potatoes brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

When spreading on the potatoes bring the potato mixture all the way to the edges of the pan to make a seal. This will prevent the meat mixture from bubbling up.
This Shepherd's Pie is the perfect leftover meal. Use leftover mashed potatoes to make this pie fast.

Perfect Pairing

Serve this Shepherd's Pie with this Southern Fried Cabbage.
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