As some of you know, I really like game meat (i.e. venison, boar, bear, moose, love rabbit, etc), but it’s actually hard to come by if you aren’t a hunter or just plain expensive. But I had some venison stew meat in the freezer that I thought I should use up so I made this venison stew. And it’s almost pie day (March 14) in the US, so ended u making a cottage pie out of it. Seriously delicious, if I do say so myself!
Ingredients
For the filling
1 pound finely chopped or ground venison
1 onion, 1/4 inch diced
1 carrot, 1/4 inch diced, plus 1 carrot, 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 ribs celery, 1/4 inch diced
1/2 medium turnip, 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1 large handful fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the mashed potatoes
2 pounds russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup warm milk
Directions
Combine venison and onion in a large skillet, and brown until no pink remains. Add carrots, celery, and garlic to the venison mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until slightly tender. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, paprika and herbs de Provence. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the gravy has thickened.
Separately, in a small pot, boil potatoes and turnips until tender. Drain and add to the venison mixture. Add spinach and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature or even do it the day before and let cool completely.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large pot of cold salted water. Bring the potatoes to a gentle boil and cook 13-16 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes well and mash until smooth. Stir in the butter. Add warmed milk a little bit at a time until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy, you may not need all of the milk. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
If you have made and chilled the filling the day before, let come to room temperature. Place the filling in an oven safe pie plate, casserole dish or shallow cast iron pot. Top the meat mixture with the potatoes and place in the oven. If you are feeling artsy, you can use a fork to make a pattern in the mashed potatoes. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden.
