Shepherd's Pie with Venison

In all honesty, I should be a vegetarian. It's not for health reasons though; it's the knowledge of what I'm eating and my love for animals. My husband's uncle owns a dairy farm and I've loved heading up into PA to visit them. I get up at 4:30 am to help bring the cows in, hook them up to the milkers, feed the babies and do other less appealing chores. Of course, I get to go home after a few days instead of doing it 24x7 so there's a lot to love.

As you can imagine, it's a bad thing to be born a male on a dairy farm. While most are sent off to other places (no further comment), one is kept every season, named Pete and raised on the best grain and with loving care. I've fed a Pete; rubbed his nose and looked into those large, long-lashed eyes. Then we visited again some months later and I was served steak; the most tender, flavorful steak I've ever had. "This isn't Pete, is it?" I asked suspiciously. "It's a local cow," my uncle-in-law replied with a small smirk. It was Pete. I ate the steak. It was just too good. But I felt bad.

Some months ago friends gave us about 15 pounds of various cuts of venison. We're a family on a budget so I couldn't turn down free meat, but at the same time, I gulped. Venison. Bambi. That's as bad as petting Pete. But, again, it's just too good. The truth is, I love the taste of meat too much to give it up.

Last night I pulled out the last two packets for my shepherd's pie. I usually make it with ground beef, but shepherd's pie is one of those dishes that forgives substitutions easily and is sometimes better for it. I thought all I had left was ground venison, but when I opened the butcher's paper, it was stew meat instead, which is also a forgivable, if not more tasty substitute.

It's a wonderful dish and the entire family eats it until we're just about sick, so I thought I'd share it for those moms who stand looking desperately in the fridge for something to throw together for dinner some nights. If you have some kind of red meat, a vegetable and potatoes, you're good to go with this. Here's the venison version. Because venison is such a lean meat and can have a strong taste, I use bacon drippings in the saute to add some fat flavor. It's a small amount, but makes a big difference. Usually, I use a couple tablespoons of canola oil.



Shepherd's Pie with Venison

2 tablespoons bacon drippings
2 pounds venison stew meat
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups corn (cut from 4 ears)
4 cups mashed potatoes

Heat the oven to 350.

Over high heat, heat the bacon drippings in a large skillet. Add the stew meat and saute until browned and cooked just through, approximately 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the meat and stir well until all the white is incorporated. Add the beef broth, deglazing the pan and stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Reduce heat to medium and heat until bubbling.  Pour the meat and gravy into the bottom of a large casserole dish.

Cut the corn from the cob and layer it over the top of the beef (yes, canned or frozen corn can be used; it's what we do in winter). Spread the mashed potatoes over the corn working for an even topping.

Cook in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or until the gravy starts bubbling up through the potatoes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.