Wild Game Shepherd’s Pie by Dennis Deitchman
If you find that your ground meat stash just never seems to go down, and you can only handle so many burgers, Shepherd’s Pie is a great recipe to use up some of that bulk game that can feed you and your family for a few days. This is similar to a chili or a stew, where you just throw in whatever ya got. It’s a great hearty meal for whenever the temps start dropping outside as well.
Meat Filling Ingredients:
2 Lbs Ground Meat
2 Cups Stock (Whatever ya got)
½ Large Onion Diced
3 Cloves of Garlic Minced
2 Cups Fresh green beans (stems removed, and chopped into about 1 inch pieces)
3 Carrots diced
2 Cups of other vegetables fresh or frozen (Peas, Corn, Etc.)
1 Cup Mushrooms Diced
2 Tbsp Flour
1 Tsp Rosemary
1 Tsp Thyme
Parsley
2 Tbsp Butter
Splash of Red Wine
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Mashed Potatoes:
3 Lbs Yukon Gold or German Butterball Potatoes
¾ Stick Butter (melted in bowl)
½ Cup Heavy Cream, ½ & ½, or milk
½ Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg Yolk
1 Cup Shredded Parmesan (More if you want)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
3 Cloves of Garlic (Micro-planed or Minced)
Peel your potatoes, and cut into big chunks, then boil in salted water till you can pass through with a fork.
While potatoes are boiling, get a pan nice and hot and throw in some oil, diced onion, and minced garlic. Let the onions sweat for a bit just to the point of beginning to caramelize.
Next throw in your meat and brown it on a med/high heat. If you’re using a lean ground, use lots of oil.
Once the meat is about done, throw in your rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Deglaze the pan with a splash of wine, and mix in the flour.
Pour in enough stock to cover everything, and add in all the vegetables. Let simmer till reduced to a gravy (10-20 minutes). Once its reduced by about half, if it looks runny, add more flour. You want enough gravy to coat everything and keep it moist, but not too much.
Pre-heat oven to 400 deg.
Once the potatoes are done, mash them with a masher, or run through a food mill. Mix in the melted butter, parmesan, sour cream, and heavy cream. Next add your yolk (make sure the potatoes are still warm, but not too hot so you don’t scramble the yolk). Lastly, salt and pepper to taste. These are going to be very creamy, and more wet than normal mashed potatoes so it doesn’t dry out while baking.
Get out a casserole dish, and dump the meat in. Make sure its evenly spread. Dollop your mashed potatoes on top, making sure to cover evenly. Try and form a seal around the edges so the gravy doesn’t come up too much while baking. You can make whatever texture you want on top, as long as everything is covered.
Throw it in the oven for 20-25 minutes till the potatoes get golden on top. Take out, dress with parsley or chives, and let sit for 15-20 minutes before serving.
