Venison Shepard's Pie: The Gourmet Left-Over

Regardless of whether we are in the midst of a health crisis, we must be resourceful and use all of the food that we have available – whether that is using all parts of an animal or using left over vegetables to make shepard’s pie.

When processing wild game, it is inevitable to end up with small pieces of meat. Some people throw those small pieces away, while many other people will turn the smaller pieces into ground meat. I only recently purchased a Kitchen-Aid stand up mixer with the ground meat attachment, so before my new purchase I always used the small pieces as stew meat.

After processing any large game, we always end up with a lot of stew meat. There are numerous uses for stew meat: tacos, stews, or adding it to beans in a crock pot for an easy dinner. One of my  personal favorite uses is making shepard’s pie.

I am not an expert on shepard’s pie; but as I understand it, shepard’s pie began as a way to use left-over food scraps in Ireland. All of the left-over vegetables, pieces of meat, etc. were dropped into a crock and mashed potatoes were cooked on top. The shepards would then take the crock with them for lunch the next day in the fields.

Growing up in the mid-west, a family friend had a recipe for a “German shepard’s pie.” Only as an adult did I realize that a recipe probably should not include the term “German Shepard.”  But, by “German,” it meant that she added sauerkraut to the Shepard’s pie. The version I had as a kid was ground beef, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and shredded cheese on the top. As far as nutritional value goes, it would probably not even meet the standards for public-school lunches these days. 
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Below is a recipe for the shepard's pie I made this week.  I have altered the recipe to use what I had on hand, and to include some additional vegetables. I use venison stew meat instead of ground beef. I sauté onions, carrots, poblano peppers, and garlic. (You will remember that the mid-west version had absolutely no vegetables). The last time I made it, I used Bubbie’s sauerkraut, which is naturally fermented. When I prepared the mashed potatoes, I also added a cup of ricotta cheese because I had it left over. ​The ricotta cheese made the mashed potatoes extra creamy, and may be a new favorite.

Venison Shepard's Pie

Shepard’s pie is a great way to reduce waste in the kitchen and make a delicious dish out of what you have left over. Every time I make shepard’s pie, it is a little different depending upon what I have at the time. As we face travel restrictions and shelter-in-place orders, our ability to go to the store will become increasingly limited. Shepard’s pie is a great solution because you can use what you have on hand. If you do not have carrots, but have too many peas, use peas.
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And, remember to save the small pieces of meat when you are processing an animal. Small pieces of venison saved in the fall make delicious shepard’s pie in the winter (or any time there is a chill in the air). Happy cooking, friends. 

​Shepard’s Pie
 
4 cups diced potatoes
1 cup ricotta (optional)
1 cup stock
1 lb. stew meat (venison, beef, lamb, etc)
1 cup red onion
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced poblano pepper
3-4 crushed garlic cloves, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil water with olive oil and salt for the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until soft.

​Using an immersion blender, add stock and blend potatoes. Add ricotta. Blend until creamy. 

​In a stock pot, add olive oil, garlic, carrots, and meat. Brown for a few minutes and add additional vegetables. Once all meat and vegetables are cooked, pour contents into an oven-safe casserole dish. 

Add sauerkraut layer over meat/vegetable layer. Add mashed potatoes on top. Place dish in oven for 30 minutes. You can broil the top for 3-4 minutes at the end for added color.