Description
Classic Shepherd’s Pie made with venison is prepared in the Instant Pot. You won’t believe how easy it is to make mashed potatoes and the filling!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3lbs. gold potatoes (about 7–8 medium potatoes)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup warm milk
- 4 Tbsp. butter, divided
- 2 tsp. salt, divided
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
- 1 lb. ground venison (or beef, turkey or lamb)
- 1 large, yellow onion, diced
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced carrots
- 1 and 1/2 cups celery
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (6oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. ground sage
- 1 cup dark beer, like Guinness or a stout
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes and plate the wire rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the water and potatoes to the pot.
- Place on the lid, make sure the knob is turned to sealing and select Pressure Cook or Manual for 15 minutes on high. Let the cycle run, do a 5-minute natural release, and then carefully perform a manual release.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, and discard the water. If you want peeled potaotes for your mash, you can peel them when they’re cool to the touch, but I like to leave my skins on for texture.
- Add the warm milk and 3 tablespoons of the butter, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and a half teaspoon of the pepper to the potatoes and mash. You can use a ricer or a or an electric mixer if desired, just make sure the milk is warm. This helps with texture. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
- Return the pot to the Instant Pot and add the remaining butter. Set it to Saute for 25 minutes on high.
- After about 3 minutes, and the butter has melted, add the ground venison to the pot.
- Saute until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, remaining salt, remaining pepper, thyme, and sage. Mix well, letting this sweat for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the beer and let the cycle finish, scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan for flavor.
- Once the cycle has finished, stir in the peas. The hot filling will cook them just enough so that they’re not mushy.
- Pour the filling into a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Top with the mashed potaotes and spread into an even later.
- Turn the oven to lo broil and place the Shepherd’s Pie on the middle rack of the oven. Broil for 5-7 minutes, checking frequently, until the top is golden and crispy.* Enjoy!
Notes
- I like to dump my cooked filling and mashed potatoes into a casserole dish and broil to get a crispy top, but this is optional. You can certainly just spoon the mashed potatoes over the cooked filling in the Instant Pot and call it a day!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Mains
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Irish American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 439
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 639 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 205 mg
Keywords: venison, instant pot, dinner
