- 2 Venison Tenderloins (or whatever cut of meat you choose)
- 1 Large Onion
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Bell Pepper (we prefer red)
- 5-6 Whole Mushrooms (we use Baby Bellas)
- 1-2 strips bacon
- Beef Broth
- Beer or Wine (Whichever you prefer - or none just substitute more beef broth)
- Flour
- Salt and Pepper
- 6-7 Medium Potatoes (We prefer Yukon Gold they whip up really nice)
Disclaimer: I should warn you that I cook with very loose measurements...a little of this, a splash of that, so you may have to tweak to your taste. Enjoy!
Topping:
First cut and get your potatoes in the pot boiling.
Filling:
Cut your venison into 1 inch chunks and season liberally with salt and pepper. Add olive oil in the bottom of a large Dutch oven (or pan large enough to accommodate this one pot wonder) and when it is hot toss in your seasoned venison chunks and sear them on all sides.
In the mean time, dice up an onion, garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms into small pieces and set aside. Then cut up your bacon into small pieces. Once the venison has a nice sear remove it from the pan and put in the bacon. Next add the veggies and let them sauté in with the bacon until they are soft. Once soft, drop the venison back in the Dutch oven and stir in just enough flour to lightly coat the contents of the pan, about a quarter of a cup or a little less. Stir the flour in and let it cook for a minute or two, then start adding your liquids. We use about a half a cup of beer, or wine, to release the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. Then add 2-3 cups of beef broth, do a quick stir, then let it boil and reduce to make a sauce. The amount of time to let the sauce reduce depends on how you like the consistency of your sauce. I let it go until it resembles gravy.
While the filling is thickening, drain your potatoes and toss them in a mixing bowl. We like to use a little sour cream and butter in our potatoes, but they can be made to your liking. Once you have them whipped, take the filling off of the stove top and gently spread the potatoes over the top. Once you have the filling completely covered, then top the potatoes with shredded cheese, we use a cheddar mix. Then take the Dutch oven, with NO lid, and move it to the oven at 400 until the cheese has browned slightly and is bubbly, this takes roughly 20-30 minutes. Or if you are in a hurry, you can simply place under the broiler to let the cheese melt.