Steak Pot Pie
Yesterday, Eli got his second deer of the season, this one with his rifle. He looks sedate in the photo here, but that’s deceiving. He was practically bursting with adrenaline. At any rate, I will now have about 175 pounds of venison in the freezer – which means I won’t be buying beef for another year. It might seem like we’d get bored with venison, but it’s really as versatile as beef, and we get it prepped in a variety of cuts by the processor (roasts, steaks, chops, ground, and tenderloin as well as some specialty meats like bratwurst and ground breakfast sausage).
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post on pie crust, we invited Eli’s dad over for dinner last week, and I made Venison Pot Pie. I had been thinking about a pot pie for a while, considering all the round steak in the freezer. As a basic model, I referenced a recipe for Venison Pub Pie with Chestnuts and Parsnips in Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann’s Earth to Table cookbook, using what I had on hand and switching out a lot of the ingredients for something similar. There were no chestnuts in it, but my gosh, it was good.
As we sat down to dinner, I mentioned that it was my first attempt at pot pie.
Eli’s dad said to me, “So, you’re trying different ways to disguise venison, huh?”
His question made me pause. The general misconception certainly is that venison needs to be “disguised” by sauces or seasonings. I don’t agree with this – I don’t “disguise” venison any more than I “disguise” beef. What I do is try to utilize the cuts of meat we have with as much variety as possible, the same way I would cook with different cuts of beef.
Venison round steak, just like beef, isn’t a cut of meat you want to just toss on the grill and then go at with some A-1 sauce. That cooking method is reserved for the tenderloin. Round steak (whether venison or beef) works well in slow-cooked pasta sauce, soups and stews, stroganoff…and pot pie – all dishes wherein the meat is cooked long enough that it becomes tender in spite of its leanness.
Pot pie isn’t a “just throw it into the crust and bake” operation. The filling has to be cooked first in two separate batches, then you mix them together, pour into the prepared bottom crust, add the top crust, and bake.
Instead of the Venison Pub Pie recipe’s red wine (it would have been good, I’m sure – I just didn’t have any), I used dry sherry (the real stuff, not “cooking sherry”), which lends a depth of flavor to the meat and vegetables that is just unbeatable (I learned to use sherry by making risotto, and now I use it in soup and gravy, too, when I want richer flavor). I wasn’t disappointed.
I also used a variety of root and green vegetables – onion, celery, carrot, parsnip, potato. Use what seems good to you. I considered corn and peas, but didn’t include them because my pan was full. If you can get your hands on some chestnuts, by all means give them a try. I plan to, as soon as I find them in the market (with Christmas coming, they should show up in the produce section soon – be sure you roast them before putting them in your pie).
I used the “fall” seasonings that are instinctive to me – sage, thyme, and bay leaf. Use whatever you like for meat and vegetables.
The bottom line is that whether you use venison or beef, this beats a Swanson pot pie by miles. It’s totally worth the effort on a chilly fall or winter night. Everyone will leave the table happy and with a full belly.
Venison (or Steak) Pot Pie
You will need a 10-inch pie plate and two large skillets or saute pans. I used a nonstick saute pan for the vegetables and a cast iron skillet for the meat.
About 1/2 cup cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 large or 2 small stalks celery, sliced thin
2 large parsnips, sliced thin
1 large or 2 smaller potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small cubes
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs. venison or beef round steak or stewing meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
2-3 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable stock
1 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 bay leaf
pastry for a double-crust pie
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 large carrots, sliced thin
Prep your bottom crust by placing it in the pie plate, smoothing out any air pockets gently with your fingers. Trim if needed, leaving a half inch overhang. Roll out and set aside the dough for the top crust.
In one skillet/saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute the garlic, onion, and celery until translucent and tender. Add the parsnips, carrots, and potato with one cup stock, and cook over medium-high heat until the root vegetables are tender, adding more stock as needed. When vegetables are tender, add 1/2 cup dry sherry, and continue to cook until the sherry is evaporated.
While the vegetables are cooking, mix the flour, salt, and pepper in a medium-size bowl. Add the cut-up meat, tossing to coat. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the other skillet/saute pan. Add the meat, browning over high heat. When meat has browned, add 1 cup stock and lower the heat, cooking until gravy forms. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sherry and seasonings. Cook until thick and bubbly and the meat is done, adding more stock if needed.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Add the vegetables to the meat and gravy, stirring gently to combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared bottom crust, spreading it out evenly. Place the top crust on top (easily done if you roll it loosely around your rolling pin, then unroll it across the pie). Trim the edges to match the bottom crust, fold them under all the way around the pie’s circumference, and crimp with the tines of a fork or your fingers. Brush with beaten egg.
Be sure to make a few slits in the top crust for steam to escape.
Bake 45-60 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.
