Venison Shepherd’s Pie combines tender venison, veggies and mashed potatoes for a simple & impressive way to use up holiday leftovers!
Chances are, right about now, you’re up to your ears in Holiday planning. And, if you are lucky enough to have Thanksgiving leftovers, I’m betting that you’re trying to get really creative with those leftover mashed potatoes, no?
Shepherd’s Pie is one of JMan’s favorite dishes, and his sweet momma makes it every year on St. Patrick’s Day for us. We are all VERY Irish. Since he was kind enough to fill our freezer with deer meat this fall, I’m returning the favor by whipping up this stick to your ribs classic. I tested this recipe before Thanksgiving, so I didn’t have any mashed potatoes on hand to use. The directions below include a simple method for whipping cooked potatoes with butter for the “crust” but use up those leftovers if you got ’em!
This Shepherd’s pie is impressive enough to serve to your holiday guests but easy enough to whip up on a weeknight.
This is really simple, you could probably get much more complicated and gourmet with it, but hey, easy is key this year. I wanted to use chunks of meat instead of ground meat like a traditional Shepherd’s Pie; I was just in the mood for a tender cut of venison. This is gluten-free, and if you use ghee in place of butter, completely dairy free, too!
If you don’t have access to venison (you could really just come over to my house), or if you aren’t a fan of the flavor, you can always use beef. The ratios will all be the same, your flavor will just be slightly different.
Here’s what it will look like to build this baby:
Love this recipe? Check out my recipe for Traditional Instant Pot Venison Shepherd’s Pie!
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Venison Shepherd’s Pie
Venison Shepherd’s Pie combines tender venison, veggies and mashed potatoes for a simple & impressive way to use up holiday leftovers!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (or about 2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes)
- 3 tbsp of butter or ghee, divided
- 1 lb of venison steaks or chops, cubed*
- 1 bag of carrots, chopped (about 5 carrots)
- 5–6 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of beef stock or bone broth
- 1 6oz. can of tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp of ground thyme
- 2 tsp. salt, divided
- 1 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Begin by boiling a pot of water.
- Peel and cut your potatoes into eighths so they cook faster.
- Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes and boil for 15-20 minutes until they are tender. Again, if you have leftover mashed potatoes, skip this step and set aside about 3-4 cups of the leftovers for the topping!
- While the potatoes cook, dice the venison into bite-size chunks.
- Heat a large pan or skillet on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of butter and let it heat.
- Add the chunks of venison and let them cook until slightly browned.
- While the venison and potatoes cook, chop your veggies.
- When the meat is browned, transfer it to a plate, and let it sit while you cook the veggies. Add the veggies to the hot pan and let them cook for 5-7 minutes before adding the garlic and thyme.
- Let this cook for 2 more minutes, and add the stock, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and venison back into the pan. Let it go for two more minutes until everything is thick and combined.
- Turn the burner off, and pour this into the bottom of your casserole dish.
- By now, your potatoes will be done. Drain them, add them to a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee, 1 teaspoon of salt, and whip with a mixer or mash with a few forks.
Dump this out onto the top of your venison filling and smooth everything well. - Bake for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes slightly start to brown on top. Serve up in generous portions with a giant hug.
Notes
*can sub beef – I suggest getting beef stew meat
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 289
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 723 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
so good!!!! I love shephers pie so much! I like to make it with sweet potato as well if I want a healthier version!
What a great idea!!!!
I will definitely be doing this with Christmas leftovers- looks so good! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Oh I hope you do!!! Let me know what you think 🙂
Gosh this looks SOOOOO good! Comfort food at its finest! I’ve never head shepherd’s pie with venison! I likey.
Oh girl, you MUST try ASAP. I promise you’ll love it!
I loved this recipe!! I topped mine with a bit of grated cheddar. I will be making it again
★★★★★
This is fantastic! I used ground venison because that’s what I had in my freezer and I whipped up some of my own mashed potatoes with bacon and chives. So good!
I am SOOOO glad! The ground is actually more traditional, so that’s perfect!
I worry that a lean venison cut (backstrap, steak) might be tough with this type of cooking. Any recommendations?
I would recommend using steaks of chops for this recipe! Hope it turns out great for you!