Gamekeeper’s Pie Recipe – Celebrate Great British Game Week with this gamey take on the good old heart-warming Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
800g of game meat – whatever is in season (you could even mix it)
1 white, 1 red onion, chopped
115g of carrots (chopped how you like them)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp plain flour
1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
400ml stock (beef or chicken)
200ml red wine
Thyme – 1tbsp fresh or 1tsp dried
Salt and pepper to season
Mash Topping:
3-4 Large potatoes
300g root veg – parsnips, swede, turnip (for a bit of sweetness)
Handful of grated parmesan cheese (or cheddar if you’d prefer)
Big knob of butter
Splash of milk or cream
1. Start off by seasoning your meat with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Heat up a few glugs of olive oil and a bit of butter in a frying pan. When it’s nice and hot add the onion, garlic and carrots and fry on medium heat until soft. Add your game meat to the pan, turn up the heat and cook for around ten minutes until it’s deliciously brown.
2. Drop in the tomato puree and flour, stirring well for a minute or so. Add the red wine and turn up the heat for five minutes. Next, pour in the stock, Worcestershire sauce and thyme, bring to the boil, turn your heat down, pop on a lid and allow it to cook for an hour until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
3. Put the potatoes and your chosen root veg in a pan, cover with water, add a pinch of salt and boil for 15-20 minutes until really soft. Drain it off and leave to steam in the pan for 5 minutes, so the excess water can evaporate. Mash it all up with some butter, salt and pepper and optional cream or milk.
4. Heat your oven up to 200C/gas 7 and spoon the meat mixture into an ovenproof dish (or individual little dishes), smother the mash on top, peak it up with a fork and sprinkle over some parmesan. Pop in the oven for roughly 45 minutes until it’s mouth wateringly golden brown!
P.S This pie is excellent cooked in a Le Creuset Stoneware Oven Dish, it ensures fantastic even cooking.
