Keto Hearty Venison Shepherd’s Pie is my lush take on the British classic.
With just 9g carbs for the complete keto meal, this dish is an ideal winter warmer. Rich, deeply flavored and satisfying, it’s easy to adapt—add chillies for heat, swap the meat to your preference, or try different toppings such as pumpkin, butternut or celeriac. A more traditional mash topping also works well.
This isn’t a fast recipe, but the long, slow cooking rewards you with exceptional depth of flavor.
How to Make Keto Hearty Venison Shepherd’s Pie
The start requires a little hands-on work: finely dice the vegetables for the mirepoix and brown the meat. After that the slow simmer largely cooks itself, giving you free time while the flavours develop.
You will need an ovenproof casserole or sauté pan suitable for hob and oven. A 24–26cm santeuse or a 10″ sauté pan with a lid works well. You’ll also need a frying pan to soften the mirepoix.
After finely chopping and softening the vegetables, add them to the browned mince with the herbs and spices, then simmer gently for about two hours. While the meat simmers, slice the swede thinly and parboil for a few minutes. When the filling is ready, top it with the swede slices, pour the crème fraîche and melted butter over the top, and finish the dish in the oven until warmed through and lightly caramelised.
If you prefer, use the grill (broiler) for the final step to speed up caramelisation—just ensure your pan can handle the higher heat.
Enjoy!
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Keto Hearty Venison Shepherd’s Pie
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.2 Kg venison mince
- 40 g carrot (net weight after peeling)
- 80 g celery stick
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100 g red cabbage (a wedge)
- 30 g extra virgin olive oil (2 TBSP)
- ½ TBSP fine Himalayan pink salt
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 TBSP fresh thyme (leaves only)
- ½ tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp white pepper
- 25 g tomato paste (about 2 long squirts)
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 100 g dry red wine
- 250 g swede (about ½ small swede before peeling)
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 300 g crème fraîche
Instructions
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Prepare a mirepoix by chopping the carrot, celery, shallot, garlic and red cabbage finely. Place them into a large frying pan with the olive oil and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
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Brown the venison mince in an ovenproof sauté pan or casserole over high heat, breaking up any chunks as it cooks.
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Make the stock by heating 400 ml water and dissolving the chicken stock cube.
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Pour the sautéed mirepoix into the browned meat. Add salt, bay leaves, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, white pepper, tomato paste, red wine and the prepared stock. Stir well and bring to a fast boil.
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Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer, place the lid on with a small gap to let steam escape, and cook for 2 hours, stirring halfway through. In the final 30 minutes check the liquid level—you want almost no liquid remaining (just the fat). If needed, remove the lid and raise the heat slightly to reduce the sauce further.
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While the meat cooks, cut the swede into large chunks, slice each chunk thinly, plunge into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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When the meat is done and only fat remains, turn off the hob and preheat the oven to 200 °C static.
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In the pan used for the mirepoix, melt the butter over medium-high heat, add the crème fraîche and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
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Pack the meat filling evenly in the ovenproof pan, lay the swede slices on top, pour over the crème fraîche and butter mixture, then bake for 15 minutes. If your pan is ovenproof to higher temperatures you can finish under the grill (broiler) for a few minutes to caramelise the top.
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Serve piping hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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