Venison Pot Pies

Venison Pot Pie (Photo by Amy Bradt)

Okay, okay...So I got a little morbid with the Reindeer cutouts on this, but it really cracked me up!!  This recipe can be used with regular stew meat as well, but I'm always trying to come up with new venison recipes, and I did have the adorable pie cutouts....

Recipe by: Amy Bradt                                                                          Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
2 pounds venison, cut in bite-size pieces  
1/4 cup flour  
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper  
1 teaspoon kosher salt  
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper  
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided  
2 tablespoons butter, divided  
1 cup red wine (I used Cotes Du Rhone)  
1 (10.5-ounce) can Campbell's condensed beef broth  
2 cups water  
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce  
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning  
1 bay leaf  
1 shallot, diced  
2 garlic cloves, minced  
4 red potatoes, peeled and cubed  
2 turnips, peeled and cubed  
2 cups carrots, sliced  
2 stalks celery, sliced  
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped  
2 store-bought pie crusts, softened as directed on box 

Directions

The night before: 

Remove all hard fat and silver skin from venison, cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in large gallon re-sealable freezer bag, cover with milk (or salt water) and refrigerate until ready to cook next day. This helps reduce the "gamey" taste.

Serving day:

Combine flour, peppers and salt in large re-sealable bag. Seal and shake to thoroughly combine. Add venison and shake until well coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large dutch oven, over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add 1 tablespoon butter and melt. Add 1/2 of the venison to the pot, and sear on all sides. Remove and repeat with remaining oil, butter and venison. Once all the meat has browned, remove from pot and add shallots and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add wine and deglaze pan by scraping up all the browned bits from bottom of the pot. Add broth, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning and bay leaf.

Return venison to the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and let cook 2 hours.

Add remaining vegetables, and simmer for another 30-45 minutes, or until vegetables are almost done. Remove from heat, add parsley and let cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400°. Pour stew into six large bowls or ramekins. Cut pie crusts to fit top of ramekins and place on top of stew. Cut small slits in top of crust to vent.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pie crusts are golden brown.

Venison Pot Pie (Photo by Amy Bradt)