Venison Diced Hunters Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pack Silver Fern Farms Venison Diced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1½ onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 375g mushrooms, sliced
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (use less if dried)
• 750g orange kumara, peeled and chopped
• 6 Tbsp milk
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 600g silverbeet bunch, trimmed and roughly chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat.

Remove Silver Fern Farms Venison Diced from the fridge and packaging and allow to bloom at room temperature for 10 mins.

Add venison to the pan and quickly cook, turning at times until well coloured. Remove from the pan and transfer to a casserole dish.

Return the pan to the heat and add a little more oil, gently cook onion, garlic, carrot, celery and mushrooms for about 5 mins and then transfer them to the casserole.

Add tomato paste, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and most of the rosemary to the casserole. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours until the meat is tender. Check the liquid level during cooking and if needed add a little more stock or water.

Once the meat is tender, if needed, thicken the gravy with 1-2 tbsp of cornflour dissolved in a little water.

While the filling cooks, cook the kūmara in a pot of salted water until tender, about 15-20 mins. Drain and then return the kūmara to the pot. Add milk and butter, and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the venison mixture to a lasagne style baking dish.

Spread the kūmara mash evenly over the top and sprinkle with remaining rosemary.

Place in the oven and bake for about 25 mins, or until the mash starts to turn golden brown.

When the pie is almost cooked, cook the silverbeet in a pot with a little water until just tender.

Serve the pie with silverbeet alongside.