Try this hearty wild game pie recipe this fall or winter. The pie is filled with chunks of tender venison shoulder, root vegetables, juicy mushrooms, and caramelized shallots, all tied together in a rich, dark red wine sauce. It’s topped with a crispy, buttery puff pastry, crusted with cheddar cheese.

Browning the venison, mushrooms, and shallots might be time-consuming, but is the trick to getting as much flavor as possible.

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1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Peel parsnips and carrots and cut into bite-size pieces and set aside. Cut venison shoulder into 1½-inch cubes, season generously with salt, and toss with all-purpose flour to coat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a Dutch oven, and brown venison over medium-high heat until crusty—do not crowd the pan, work in batches as needed. Remove venison and set aside.
2. Next, brown mushrooms until golden and shrunken, adding more oil as needed.
3. Add chopped onion, carrots, parsnips, rosemary, thyme, and a pinch of salt. Sauté vegetables over medium heat until onion becomes translucent.
4. Next, add tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds. Then add wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom. Add beef stock and bring to a gentle boil.
5. In a small bowl, combine a tablespoon. of flour with one tablespoon of butter until there are no lumps, and then add it to the pot. Return venison to Dutch oven. There should be enough liquid to almost completely cover all ingredients.
6. Cover and bake in a 300°F oven for 2 to 3 hours, or until venison becomes tender. Stir every hour and check to make sure liquids haven’t reduced to the point of burning. The filling should end up thick but saucy—add more stock as needed to thin or uncover the pot if the mixture is too loose. Season to taste, and discard thyme and rosemary sprigs. Set Dutch oven aside to cool slightly.
7. Turn oven up to 350°F. Peel shallots and trim off ends. In a medium, oven-proof pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots and a tablespoon of sugar and toss to coat. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until shallots become soft (larger shallots will take longer to cook).
8. Increase oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a pie dish and pour in venison and veggie filling. Evenly nestle the cooked shallots over the top. Cover the pie dish with puff pastry. Beat 1 egg and water and lightly brush the puff pastry dough with egg wash. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and cut out a hole in the middle to vent. Bake on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes, or until puff pastry is cooked through and golden.