Bison Cottage Pie

There aren't many foods I can think of that are more comforting than this bison cottage pie. After all, it's got meat, gravy, and mashed potatoes, and in my book that's about all you need when you've got a case of the chills, the nasties, or the blues. Well, that and a big glass of red wine.

The semantical among you may wonder why I am calling this a cottage pie, rather than a shepherd's pie. Well, according to many definitions, cottage pies use minced beef, while shepherd's pies go with minced lamb ... I am using neither in favor of ground bison, and so I decided I would call it whatever I pleased.

Even if bison weren't lower in fat and calories, which it is, I think in many situations I would still like it better than ground beef. When raw, it smells to me like freshly mown grass, and some of that flavor carries over once it has cooked in a way that I don't even get from grass fed beef, giving it more depth and interest.

I also indulged in a tiny cheat with this pie. I woke up on a Saturday with a bee in my bonnet for a cottage pie, and I wanted it that same day. So, rather than run around finding veal bones to make stock to make a brown sauce to then make a demi glace I bought a ready-made condensed demi glace. Shock and horror! But, in looking at the ingredients - veal stock, tomato paste, mire poix - I felt emboldened to give it a go.  Was it as good as the "real thing?" No, and I wouldn't use it for making a sauce, but here, used in the gravy for the bottom layer of the cottage pie,  it was a perfect solution for a time crunch. 

Here's what to do.

Bison Cottage Pie

For the bottom layer: 

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 large white onion, chopped

6 or 7 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground bison

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon flour

1/3 cup red wine

1 ounce demi glace, dissolved in one cup of veal or beef stock, kept warm

2 cups peas, fresh or frozen, thawed

For the mashed potato topping:

1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into rough cubes

3-4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup cream

salt and pepper, to taste

In sautoir over medium heat, saute the onion and carrot  in 2 tablespoons of butter until the carrots are soft.  Add garlic, cook another 1 - 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the bison meat to the pan, breaking it up and stirring until browned. Remove and set aside. Deglaze the pan with the wine; cook until reduced by 2/3. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, when melted add flour and combine, cooking for an additional minute. Add the vegetables, the meat, and the peas to the pan and stir to combine. Add enough of the demi glace/stock mixture to moisten all of the contents of the pan, plus a little extra liquid, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a 2 quart rectangular casserole so that the bison mixture reaches 1/2 way up the sides of the dish. Set aside to cool thoroughly.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in well salted water. Drain and pat dry. Mash and add butter, cream, salt and pepper until the potatoes are spreadable but not too wet. Spoon into a large Ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner, and pipe on top of the meat mixture, making sure to create peaks in the potatoes, as this is what will brown. Dot with butter, and bake in a 350 degree oven until brown. I finished the cottage pie under the broiler for additional browning.  If you have extra, as I did, bake this in a ramekin - it makes an awesome lunch the next day:

I think this would be a great dish to set out at Thanksgiving or a holiday buffet. Or to devour, solitarily ...  not that I did that. I had help, in the form of Poppa Trix.