VENISON SHEPHERD’S PIE

This venison shepherd’s pie recipe uses braised and pulled venison instead of ground meat. However, you can also substitute with ground. The filling is built from a vegetable paste, tomato, Worcestershire, stock, and red wine, then finished with a mashed potato lid that bakes until golden. It is hearty, clean in flavor, and built for cold-weather cooking.

In the mood for more comfort food? Check out my recipe for venison pie, or take a look at my venison recipes guide for more dinner ideas.

What makes this shepards pie great

• Versatile – You can use ground venison in place of braising cuts.
• Added Body – Tomato paste, onion, carrot, herbs, and garlic create a glossy, rich gravy.
• Balanced richness – Worcestershire and wine give depth without heaviness.

Key tips

• Reduce the wine by half to deepen the flavors.
• Keep the filling slightly loose before topping with the potatoes. It will tighten in the oven.
• Spread the mash edge-to-edge to seal, then rough the surface with a fork for browning.
• Be sure the mashed potatoes aren’t too dry before applying. If the potatoes are dry before cooking, they will be even drier after baking.

Cooks Notes

Not only did I swap out the farmed-raised meat with wild game, but I also changed the classically used ground meat with braised and pulled venison. This makes for a heartier dish that we all crave on a chilly afternoon or while celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

I imagine that in the old days, braised meat was used for the filling in place of ground lamb in traditional shepherd’s pie.

Most folks probably wouldn’t go through the time-consuming process of grinding meat (especially ground beef) when braising is clearly the much easier option. For all we know, the original meat pie filling may have been a leftover pot roast or stew. What better way to utilize leftovers than smothering them with creamy mashed potatoes and baking them in a casserole dish.

More Venison Recipes

• Venison Neck Roast
• Venison Slow Cooker Recipes
• Venison Casserole
• Venison Bourguignon
• Slow Cooker Venison Stew

Lastly, if you make this venison shepherd’s pie recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.

Venison Shepard’s Pie

Author: Larry White

Venison shepherd’s pie with braised, pulled venison in a balanced vegetable gravy, topped with seasoned mashed potatoes and baked until golden – clean flavor, tender texture, simple make-ahead.

5 from 9 votes

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Course Main Course

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time4 hours hrs

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients 

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For the Venison

• ▢ 2 pounds boneless venison, cut into 2-3 inch pieces (shoulder, shank or neck meat)
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 large carrots, chopped
• ▢ 1 large onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
• ▢ 4 garlic gloves, chopped
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1.5 Cups tomato Paste
• ▢ 2 cups dry red wine
• ▢ 2 cups venison or beef stock
• ▢ 2 cups frozen green peas
• ▢ salt and black pepper to taste

For the Mashed Potato Topping

• ▢ 1.5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, Quartered
• ▢ 1/4 cup Whole Milk
• ▢ 3 Tbsp Melted Butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 330 degrees F.
• Season the deer meat with salt and pepper. Coat a large pan with the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to lightly smoke, add the venison and cook on all sides until golden brown. Set the pan and meat aside.
• In a blender or food processor, puree all of the vegetables (except the green peas), herbs, and garlic until it looks like a thick paste.
• Remove the meat from the pan and heat the pan to medium heat. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and the vegetable puree to the pan and cook for 7-8 minutes while stirring frequently.
• Add the red wine and scrape all of the bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce the mixture by half.
• Place the venison in a baking dish or a Dutch oven. Pour the vegetable and wine mixture over the meat. Add about 2 cups of stock or enough to cover the meat about 3/4 of the way. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours or until the meat is fork-tender.
• While the venison is cooking, place the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until fork tender (about 15 minutes)
• Strain the potatoes and whip them with an electric mixer along with the melted butter, milk, Parmesan, and salt. If the potatoes are too thick adjust with more milk. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher or potato ricer to process the potatoes and then fold in the remaining ingredients.
• When the venison is tender, remove it from the oven and increase the temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the venison from the cooking liquid and place it into a large bowl. Shred the meat very finely, adding a little of the cooking liquid to ensure that the meat mixture is moist. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
• Add the venison filling and green peas to a casserole dish or individual ramekins. Carefully spread the potatoes on top of the meat, making sure that it is fully covered.
• Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. For a little extra color, dust with a little sweet paprika.

NOTES

 

Ground venison substitution (quick method)

1. Use 1.5 to 2 pounds ground venison. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter to offset leanness.
2. Brown in a wide skillet over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and break into small crumbles.
3. Stir in your vegetable paste, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and herbs. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
4. Optional binder: sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour, stir 30 seconds.
5. Add red wine, reduce by half. Add stock to loosen to a saucy consistency. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes until glossy and spoon-coating.
6. Fold in peas off heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Transfer to the casserole, top with mashed potatoes, and bake as directed in the recipe.

Storage and Leftovers

• Assemble up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate tightly covered.
• Bake uncovered at 400°F until heated through and the top is golden.
• Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated.

 

Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!