A popular comfort food that has been enjoyed by many for many years is shepherd’s pie. This meal is often served with lamb, but a wonderful variation of the traditional recipe can be made using minced beef, turkey, or even bison. This blog post will include a recipe for bison shepherd’s pie that is certain to become a household favourite.
Bison Shepherd’s Pie
Bison can be used to make the traditional comfort food meal shepherd's pie. Cook the ground bison in a skillet with chopped onions, minced garlic, and frozen mixed veggies to make bison shepherd's pie. Place the mashed potatoes on top of the mixture in the baking dish. The potatoes should be crisp and golden brown after baking in the oven.
Equipment
- Large skillet or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon:
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Large pot for boiling potatoes
- Potato masher
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 9×13 inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 pounds ground bison
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup of beef broth
For the mashed potato topping:
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 cup of milk
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a big skillet or Dutch oven. When the bison is added, cook it until it is browned, breaking it up as it cooks with a wooden spoon.
- The vegetables should be soft when you add the onion, garlic, and carrots to the skillet and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
- Once everything is thoroughly combined, add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Bring the skillet to a simmer after adding the beef broth and frozen peas. When the sauce has thickened, reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the mashed potato topping while the filling cooks. Cook the chopped potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are soft, in a large pot of boiling water.
- Potatoes are drained and added back to the saucepan. Mash till smooth after including the butter and milk. To taste, add salt and pepper to the food.
- A 9 x 13 inch baking dish should now contain the bison mixture. Spread out the mashed potatoes equally over the top of the filling.
- Bake the shepherd's pie for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the mashed potato topping is golden brown.
- Before serving, take the dish out of the oven and let it cool for a while.
Notes
Vegetables need to be chopped, bison needs to be cooked, and mashed potatoes need to be made. As part of the cooking process, the bison combination must be simmered before baking the Shepherd’s Pie and allowing it to cool slightly before serving.
Remember that these timeframes are only estimates and could change depending on your individual cooking style, cookware size, and stove heat. Overall though, Bison Shepherd’s Pie is a fairly simple and quick meal that can be made in under an hour.
