O'Bradley's Venison & Guinness Hunter's Pie

Well, I am a good part Irish after all. And what a perfect hearty Irish dish to herlad in the cooler days of Fall. This was amazing. There are more more pieces of venison shoulder left in the freezer so I'll be making this again.

Pictured at top are the starring cast in this dish but there are a few things I threw which are not in shown here that really made it shine. My recipe follows:

O'Bradley's Venison & Guinness Hunter's Pie

1 pound of lean venison shoulder
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
a sprig of fresh thyme
4 juniper berries smashed
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 bottle extra stout Guinness
2 carrots diced
2 cups beef broth
15 button mushrooms sliced
5 russet potatoes - peeled, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup cream

I started by dicing the venison in to 1/2" chunks. Then I diced the onion, carrots and sliced mushrooms. In a heavy bottomed pot I browned the venison on all sides very well. In went all the vegetables except for the potatoes. Those go in to a pot of salted, boiling water to make the mashed potatoes.
After the vegetables cook down a bit, add the galic and all the herbs and spices. Also throw in a bottle of Guinness, the broth and season a bit to taste. Cook covered for about 1/2 hour. Butter individual remakins or a larger casserole as I did and pour in the contents of the pot. Make the mashed potatoes adding salt, pepper, cream and butter and mixing until creamy. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the casserole/s and bake for 40 minutes until the mashed potatoes are golden brown. Serve with Guinness, of course! Serves 4 adults heartily.