Venison Shepherd's Pie

Tonight I'm using up the last of my venison until after we move to Rochester.  I will sadly not be getting another delivery from my mom and dad.  But I'm doing well clearing out our pantry so that we don't have to waste or move too much food.  Once again for this meal, I used instant mashed potatoes.  This was to use them up... they're not as good as real mashed potatoes, but they're easy.

This had a great savory flavor to it and was a really comforting dish.  It took a long time to make but that was because I simmered the meat for a long time to get it to break down.  The flour I dredged the meat in thickened the sauce into a delicious gravy.  All-in-all a great meal.

You could substitute any veggies you wanted in this.  Mushrooms too, I suppose (blech!).  This would be great with other types of meat as well.  You'd just need to adjust the cooking time/method to make the meat tender and delicious.

I cooked these in 5" pie plates.  It was probably a little more food than we needed but it was delicious.  I overfilled them a little bit... so it was lucky that I had placed the pie plates on a baking sheet.  That way it caught all the drips.  Definitely a great meal. Jeremy kept laughing at me for how many times I said "yum" while cooking/eating. :)

Recipe:
1 lb. venison (or lean steak), sliced into small bite-sized pieces
2 small carrots (about 3/4 c.) diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 tbs. minced garlic
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. water
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1/3 c. AP flour
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (plus more to taste)
1 1/3 c. mashed potatoes (or more if you like...)(this is for 2 servings... we like our potatoes)

1. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a large resealable bag.  Add the steak and mix well to coat. (Just shake the bag around for a few seconds...)
2. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add 2-3 tbs. olive oil.  Add the steak and cook, stirring occasionally until browned.  Add the onion and cook until the onion begins to soften, 2-3 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes, celery, carrot, garlic, worchestershire sauce, crushed red pepper flake, rosemary, bay leaf and water.  Stir to combine.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until the meat is tender (for the venison, I let it go several hours (like 3 1/2 today) to break it down... some cuts of beef won't require more than a few minutes -- but you can use cheaper, tougher cuts if you have the time to braise it slowly like I do with the venison).  Add chicken stock as needed to keep enough liquid in the pan so that it doesn't stick to the bottom and scorch.
4. Once the meat is tender, add the peas.  Adjust seasoning as needed.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Portion out the meat mixture into oven-proof bowls or individual 5" pie plates.  Top with mashed potatoes, pricking the mashed potatoes with a fork to create some peaks.
6.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until slightly browned on top.  Serve and enjoy.  (Be careful... they're HOT... don't burn your mouth!)