For the meat and potatoes lovers, this Venison Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect blend of lean venison in a rich gravy, covered in pillowy, cheesy mashed potatoes!
An Edinburgh favorite, Shepherd’s Pie is a rich, meaty stew that is slow-cooked until perfection. After the stew is braised, it is topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until the potatoes on top become crisp and browned. It is perfect in both texture and taste!
This Venison Shepherd’s Pie utilizes lean venison, which is braised in a gravy thickened with cornstarch and flavored with rainbow carrots, red onion, rosemary, and thyme. The mashed potato topping features mozzarella cheese, roasted garlic paste, and lots of butter. This stick-to-your-ribs meal is sure to please!
Cooking with Venison
Venison, or the meat from deer, is a lean and flavorful meat that is enjoyed all over the midwest. During hunting season, venison can be found in specialty stores in high-hunting areas. You can also find venison meat online from reputable meat sellers.
With only a slight gaminess, venison is a great choice for folks who have never tried wild game. It is very lean and mild, tasting a lot like beef. In many recipes, including this one, beef is interchangeable for venison. Feel free to use equal amounts of ground beef if you are not ready to try venison!
Ingredients in Venison Shepherd’s Pie
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground venison, or ground sirloin (90/10)
- 1 red onion, diced fine
- 1 cup sliced rainbow carrots (orange carrots work, too!)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cups water, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon paste
- 1 tablespoon roasted vegetable bouillon paste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- For the mashed potatoes:
- 8 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- Water, to cover
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon of roasted garlic paste
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup butter
- Black pepper, to taste
How to Make Venison Shepherd’s Pie
Heat your olive oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven over medium heat,
Add the venison and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Sear, stirring frequently, until the meat begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
Add your onion, carrots, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the veggies are browned and softened and the meat is cooked.
Turn the heat to low. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook for 2 minutes at a simmer.
Next, add the water and bouillon pastes. Stir to dissolve the paste into the mixture. This stuff is pretty salty, so hold off salting the stew until before baking, if desired.
Continue to cook at a simmer for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, mix the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Pour it into the stew and stir, allowing it to thicken for about 5 minutes. Continue to stir occasionally.
Once the stew is thickened, boil your potatoes in water seasoned with 1 teaspoon of salt. Once tender, drain.
Mash the potatoes along with the garlic paste, mozzarella, butter, and black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove the stew and the potatoes from the heat. Carefully add an even layer of potatoes over the stew, inside the same Dutch oven you cooked in, smoothing out the top.
Using a fork, draw vertical lines across the mashed potatoes. This gives a nice texture to the potatoes, as the top gets nicely crisp from the fork pattern.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Venison Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground venison or ground sirloin (90/10)
- 1 red onion diced fine
- 1 cup sliced rainbow carrots orange carrots work, too!
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cups water plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon paste
- 1 tablespoon roasted vegetable bouillon paste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
For the mashed potatoes:
- 8 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced
- Water to cover
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon of roasted garlic paste
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup butter
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat your olive oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven over medium heat,
- Add the venison and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Sear, stirring frequently, until the meat begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Add your onion, carrots, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the veggies are browned and softened and the meat is cooked.
- Turn the heat to low. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook for 2 minutes at a simmer.
- Next, add the water and bouillon pastes. Stir to dissolve the paste into the mixture. This stuff is pretty salty, so hold off salting the stew until before baking.
- Continue to cook at a simmer for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, mix the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Pour it into the stew and stir, allowing it to thicken for about 5 minutes. Continue to stir occasionally.
- Once the stew is thickened, boil your potatoes in water seasoned with 1 teaspoon of salt. Once tender, drain.
- Mash the potatoes along with the garlic paste, mozzarella, butter, and black pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove the stew and the potatoes from the heat. Carefully add an even layer of potatoes over the stew, inside the same Dutch oven you cooked in, smoothing out the top.
- Using a fork, draw vertical lines across the mashed potatoes. This gives a nice texture to the potatoes, as the top gets nicely crisp from the fork pattern.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
