I don’t follow trends in food, or in life for that matter, but I had heard that meat pies were going to be one of the things we would see more in 2011. Recently, I have been sourcing my meat directly from farmers. I was also lucky that I had the opportunity this winter to buy some fresh venison from a hunter that I know, and the meat is magnificent. I had some ground Berkshire pork that I was holding onto in my freezer, and the idea started to take shape. 

I had made some venison pies previous to this combination, and they were really a bit hit with my friends. They were missing something, however. The Berkshire really lends a nice fat and richness to the lean and meaty venison that just works. You can, as always, play with the seasoning here as I use flavour combinations that I like. I’m not going to put the amounts, but just what I worked with. 

1:1 Ground venison and Berkshire (you could use Tamworth, or other flavourful fatty breeds)

6-8 Potatoes depending on how much meat you have

Garlic

Onions

Duck fat

Spice mix: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, hot paprika, salt, etc.

Boil potatoes, and mash with some roasted garlic cloves (I used 5-6 cloves), duck fat and some milk/sour cream/yogurt to smooth the mixture out.

Sautee chopped onions with spices in duck fat (yes, more duck fat J).

Combine the meat and onions, mixing thoroughly.

Fill the bottom of greased ramekins (individual serving size) with 1 1/2 inch of the meat mixture, and top with 1 inch of potato.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.