Stalker’s Pie recipe

Venison is one of the most nutritious meats available and this recipe for Stalker's Pie from Philippa Davis is sure to impress

One of our finest meats has to be wild venison. Full of flavour, it can be used in a range of recipes. Here I sauté the base of the Stalker’s Pie in rapeseed oil; try the cold-pressed bottles from Hillfarm in Suffolk or J Stringer & Sons from Yorkshire.

Stalker’s Pie

Ingredients

Serves 8

Pie base

600g venison mince

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 tbsp butter

1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 medium/ large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

4 sticks celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp juniper berries

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp caraway seeds

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp tomato purée

400ml cider or beer

300ml light game stock or water

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 level tbsp plain flour

3 tbsp water

Potato topping

1.3kg peeled potatoes, cut into equal-sized chunks

50g salted butter plus 1 tbsp extra for the top

250ml whole milk

You will need a large pie dish – I used one measuring 30cm diameter x 8cm deep

Method

Pie base

1 In a large heavy-based pan, season and brown the mince in the butter and oil.

2 Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, juniper, oregano, caraway and bay leaves. Season and cook for another 10 minutes.

3 Add the purée, cider, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, place on a lid and cook for 30 minutes.

4 In a bowl, mix the flour and water then gradually add into the mince while stirring.

5 Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then.

6 Check the seasoning, pour into your pie dish then leave to cool for at least 15 minutes so it forms a skin.

7 Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/Gas Mark 6.

Potato topping

1 Place the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water, bring to a simmer and cook until just soft. Strain then mash well, beat in the butter and check for salt.

2 Spread on top of the mince, mark the top with a fork then dot on the extra butter.

3 Bake in the oven for 45 minutes-1 hour or until golden on top and piping hot.