Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potatoes and Venison

Ingredients 0/25

Step 1

Lightly heat your oven to 375°F. While it’s warming up, poke a few holes in the sweet potato with a fork, wrap it up in foil, and pop it on a baking sheet. Roast it for about an hour to an hour and a half, until it’s nice and tender when you poke it. Once it’s done, take it out and let it cool for a bit so it’s easier to handle.

Step 2

Turn the oven down to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and set it on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Peel the sweet potato and mash the flesh in a big bowl with butter, milk, salt, pepper, sage, and nutmeg. Beat it all together until smooth, then fold in the cheddar cheese gently. Set this aside for now.

Step 3

Heat some vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Toss in the mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, then sprinkle with a bit of salt. Cook until the veggies soften, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the venison along with thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and sage. Break up the meat as you stir and cook until it’s no longer pink.

Step 4

Sprinkle the flour over the meat and veggies, stirring it in and letting it cook for a minute. Pour in the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen those tasty browned bits. Let the wine reduce for a couple of minutes, then stir in the broth. Bring everything to a simmer and cook until it thickens up, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the peas last, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Take the pot off the heat and let it cool down a bit.

Step 5

Spoon the venison filling into your prepared pie dish and spread the mashed sweet potato over the top, smoothing it out gently to cover the filling.

Step 6

Bake the pie in the oven for around 30 minutes, until the top is set and you see some bubbling around the edges. Let it rest for a little while before serving.