Venison Cottage Pie Recipes

VENISON COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a casserole dish or large saucepan over a medium heat. Tip in the venison and stir to coat in the hot oil. Cook for 15-20 mins or until the mince is browned and toasted, adding more oil if it starts to look dry. Stir in the carrot and onion and cook for 10 mins more until they start to brown. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2 mins. Stir in the bay and ketchup, then pour in the wine, if using, and bubble for a minute, then gradually stir in the stock. Leave everything to simmer gently over a medium heat for 30-40 mins until you have a tender venison in a rich gravy.
• Tip into a medium baking dish and leave to cool. The filling can be made up to two days ahead and kept chilled.
• To make the topping, tip the potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 mins until tender.
• Drain well, then leave to steam-dry for a few minutes. Mash well with the milk and two-thirds of the butter, then grate in a pinch of nutmeg and season. Using a spatula, top the pie filling with the mash, starting from the outside, then spread it over the middle. Using a fork, scrape lines across the top. Can be chilled for two days or frozen for up to six months.
• When you're ready to cook, heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the pie on a large baking tray to catch any drips. Melt the remaining butter, and drizzle or brush it all over the top of the pie, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden and bubbling. Leave to rest for 10 mins, then serve straight from the dish.

PROPER ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• To Make Meat Filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in ground beef and saute 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then continue to saute until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, cinnamon, mixed herbs, and parsley.
• In a small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Mix together, then add to beef mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of liquid has been absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
• To Make Potato Topping: Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
• Mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter or margarine, followed by milk. Whip until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over beef filling. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

VENISON & VEGETABLE (HUNTER'S) PIE

Steps:

• Preheat to oven 375 degrees F.
• Get two pans going: a large skillet for the meat and a medium saucepan for the potatoes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet and brown meat. While the meat is cooking, cover the peeled and diced potatoes with cold water and boil.
• After about five minutes, remove meat from pan, leaving any remaining oil in the skillet.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil and cook garlic, carrots, celery, onion and green pepper until slightly brown. Stir in flour and tomato paste. (This mixture will coat the veggies.) Cook the veggies for another minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the broth, chili flakes and boil, stirring constantly.
• Add the venison back into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. The mixture will be thick!
• Put the meat mixture into a pie plate.
• Drain the potatoes and return to the stove, heating over low heat to dry potatoes a bit. (This will only take a minute.) Mash the potatoes with the half-and-half and garlic powder. Spoon the potatoes over the meat mixture and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until potatoes are lightly brown and veggies are as soft as you'd like.

VENISON CHILLI COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2. Heat half the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and fry the venison in batches until it has a dark caramelised crust, then transfer to a plate. Turn the heat right down, give the dish a quick wipe with some kitchen paper and add a little more oil, then fry the onions over a low heat for about 20 mins until caramelised. Stir in the garlic and spices, cook for a couple of mins, then add the venison back to the pan, stirring so all the spices coat the venison. Pour in the wine and stock and bring to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 2½ hrs until the meat is very tender.
• Lift the venison out of pan and set aside on a plate. Reduce the sauce by two-thirds, whisk in the cornflour mix, then cook over a low heat for 5 mins until thickened and glossy. Tip the venison back in along with the lime zest and juice and the grated chocolate, stir everything together, check the seasoning and pour into a gratin dish or individual pie dishes and chill in the fridge. Can be made three days ahead and chilled for up to six months ahead and frozen.
• To make the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water. Add the soured cream to a pan and gently heat. When the potatoes are tender, drain well, then either pass through a ricer into a bowl or mash them. Mix in the chilli, then slowly stir in the soured cream until you have a light, fluffy mash. Add a little seasoning and spread or pipe over the chilled chilli mix, then scatter over the cheese. Pop in the fridge until needed. Can be assembled up to a day before, or frozen for up to one month.
• To cook the pie, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 6. Bake for 45 mins until golden and bubbling, leave to sit for 10 mins and serve straight from the dish.

VENISON POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate.
• Season venison with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in flour to coat pieces. Combine egg and milk in a small bowl for egg wash and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn heat to high and add venison; quickly brown the meat while stirring, making sure not to overbrown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove mixture into a bowl and set aside.
• Make gravy by deglazing the pan with red wine and Worcestershire sauce, scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add beef broth. Dissolve cornstarch with water in a bowl and pour into the broth, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Combine drained vegetables with venison mixture, corn, and peas in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• Line the prepared pie dish with 1 pie crust, trimming edges if needed. Place venison mixture into the pie crust, pour gravy over the top, spread mushrooms over, and cover with the other pie crust. Brush on egg wash and cut vents in the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and you can see filling is bubbling, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If edges of crust are getting too dark, cover edges with aluminum foil until center crust has caught up. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.