Name: Venison cottage pie with celeriac mash
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 8 Hands-on time: Oven/cook time: Difficulty:
Ingredients: 2 tbsp rapeseed oil; 200g smoked streaky bacon, chopped; 1kg venison mince; 2 onions, finely chopped; 2 carrots, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 300g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped; 2 tbsp plain flour; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 300ml red wine; 600ml beef stock; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly; 2 bay leaves; 3 thyme sprigs; 1.2kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled and cut into large chunks; 1 large celeriac (about 800g), peeled and cut into chunks the same size; 75g unsalted butter; 100ml whole milk; 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard; A baking dish about 30cm x 25cm and at least 6cm deep, or two smaller dishes

Venison cottage pie with celeriac mash

October is deep in the game season, and venison mince is the easy way in: lean, deeply flavoured and no harder to cook than beef. This cottage pie stretches a kilo of it to feed 8, under a mash of potato and celeriac, the knobbly October root that tastes somewhere between celery and hazelnut. Why it's so good: Smoked bacon puts back the fat that venison lacks, mushrooms and a spoonful of redcurrant jelly give the gravy body and a little sweetness, and the celeriac keeps the mash light and savoury rather than heavy. Make it easy: Make the filling a day ahead, then mash, top and bake when the crowd arrives; two smaller dishes bake just as well as one big one.

Freezable

Serves8 Hands-on time: Oven/cook time: Difficulty:

Hands-on45 min

Oven1 hour 30 min

DifficultyEasy

Method

Heat the oil in a very large, wide pan or flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the bacon and fry for 4-5 minutes until the fat runs and it starts to crisp. Add the venison mince in two batches, breaking it up with a spoon and letting each batch brown properly for about 5 minutes before adding the next. Tip the meat and bacon into a bowl.

Turn the heat down to medium, add the onions and carrots to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has cooked away.

Return the meat to the pan, sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato purée. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, then add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, redcurrant jelly, bay leaves and thyme. Season, bring to a simmer, then partly cover and cook gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy. Fish out the bay leaves and thyme stalks, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Meanwhile, make the mash. Put the potatoes and celeriac in a large pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until both are completely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well and leave to steam-dry in the colander for 5 minutes.

Return the vegetables to the pan and mash until smooth. Beat in the butter, milk and mustard, then season generously with salt and pepper.

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Spoon the venison filling into the baking dish, or divide it between two. Spoon the mash over the top and spread it right to the edges to seal in the filling, then rough up the surface with a fork so it crisps in the oven.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden and crisp at the edges and the filling is bubbling up around the sides. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Per serving (Serves 8 Hands-on time: Oven/cook time: Difficulty:)

Calories

525kcals

Fat

21g (8.9g saturated)

Protein

37g

Carbohydrates

39g (10g sugars)

Fibre

5.5g

Salt

1.7g

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

Make ahead and freezing: assemble up to 2 days ahead, cover and chill, then bake from cold for 55-60 minutes, covering with foil if the top browns before the middle is piping hot. To freeze, cool completely, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months, baked or unbaked. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bake or reheat until piping hot right through.

Venison: wild and farmed venison mince both work. Wild is leaner and gamier, so keep the bacon in. If you can only get beef mince, use it and leave out the redcurrant jelly.

Mash: celeriac holds more water than potato, so drain thoroughly and let it steam-dry before mashing. If the mash still looks loose, beat it over a low heat for a minute. A potato ricer gives the smoothest result.

Serve with buttered cavolo nero or kale, or braised red cabbage. Any leftover filling makes a good ragù for pasta the next day.