A Dash of Ginger

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Sweet Potato + Venison Shepherd’s Pie

sweet-potato-venison-shepherd's-pie venison-shepherd's-pie sweet-potato-venison-shepherd's-pie sweet-potato-venison-shepherd's-pie

There’s been a whole lot of pizza and cake being eaten this week, so it feels like time for something a bit lighter. This venison shepherd’s pie is the perfect healthy winter’s meal. Swapping the usual potatoes and lamb for sweet potatoes and venison makes this incredibly healthy whilst still feeling like a really hearty dish.

I bought this mince from Seriously Good Venison at the Good Food Show in Glasgow a few weeks back. It’s not something I’d ever tried before but as venison is such a lean meat it’s a great healthier alternative to lamb or beef mince. Plus it tastes delicious.

Then there’s the sweet potato mash. If you’ve never tried this you’re missing out, seriously. I was deprived of sweet potatoes for the first 20 years of my life which, frankly, is a travesty. I’ve been making up ever since, so much so that Ricky practically pleaded to have something other than sweet potato for dinner…

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. The point is, this venison shepherd’s pie is finished off wonderfully with creamy, buttery sweet potato. And if you’re a show-off like me, you can pipe the mash on top to make it look fancy. Lovely!

Sweet Potato + Venison Shepherd’s Pie

Yield: 4 servings

Sweet Potato + Venison Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

    For the mince
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g venison mince
  • 2 tbsp mixed herbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 1/2 tbsp flour
    • For the mash
  • 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 50g butter
  • 50ml milk
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the onion, carrots and garlic. Add to a large frying pan with the oil and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the venison, herbs and salt and cook until browned. Add the stock and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. If the sauce needs thickened, mix the flour and a little water in a mug and then add to the pan, stirring continuously.
  3. Meanwhile, boil the sweet potato until soft. Drain and mash with the butter, milk and seasoning. I like to use my hand blender to get the mash really smooth but a masher will work fine if you don't have a blender.
  4. In a large roasting tray, add the mince and top with the sweet potato mash. Bake at 180°c for 45 minutes.
https://www.adashofginger.co.uk/2014/11/sweet-potato-venison-shepherds-pie.html

Comments

  1. This sounds so tasy! I’d never really thought of using sweet potatoes in shepherds pie. I was deprived of them for many years also so I feel your pain but they’re so hard to get hold of near me without going really far away to a huge supermarket I’ve not made up for it quite so much! x

    Reply

    • Argh that’s so annoying – I’m so obsessed with them. The first time I tried them I couldn’t believe I’d been missing out for so long haha!

      Reply

  2. Ohh, I am so glad I found you. This looks and sounds so delicious. And totally something I actually would be able to remake! Thank you for sharing.

    XX

    Reply

  5. Looks lovely 🙂 You’ve done our venison credit 🙂 Sweet potato goes so well with venison. Would you mind if I share this on our Facebook page? Jenny (SGV General Manager)

    Reply

  6. I really like the way you piped the sweet potato mash

    I’ve been meaning to make shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash for ages (call me weird, but I’m not really a fan of potatoes haha!) but this has really tempted to try it out. Also, I love that you’ve made this with venison. I don’t normally like shepherd’s pie but this may re-ignite the love with that dish.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe :).

    Mara xx

    Reply

  8. I loove sweet potatoes and this dish looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe I’m gonna try this as soon as possible 🙂

    Reply

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