Catfish Out of Water

The other day I made Shepherd's Pie w/ Venison & Gruyère Aligot. Not one to waste an opportunity to turn absolutely anything and everything into leftovers? I'm of course going to make Venison Shepherd's Pie Burrito. Burritos are one of my favorite ways to utilize leftovers. Which, I know, might be kind of an odd thing to do. Especially in a part of the country where "leftovers" is a dirty word. The amount of people I know who would rather throw out an entire dish than figure out how to eat it the next day? Perpetually astounds me. If you're afraid of the microwave, fret not. I too would rather eat cold food forever than place anything in the microwave. I'll skip the soggy mess, thank you very much. But shepherd's pie is easily reheated in the oven or even the air fryer (which is secretly the best way to reheat a lot of foods).

Today, though, I don't necessarily want to eat the same dish that I had yesterday. I too don't necessarily want to eat the exact same thing day after day. That's where burritos come in. Burritos are one of my favorite ways to make something old feel new and exciting. Almost all of the components of a shepherd's pie wouldn't be out of place in a burrito. You wouldn't bat an eye at venison, onion, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, corn, peas, jalapeños, potatoes, and cheese in a burrito. Guinness and Worcestershire sauce are a little bit out of left field. But even the spices aren't entirely out of the realm of vaguely Latin American food. I tend to put cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, Himalayan pink sea salt, and pepper in just about everything that I eat.

Gallery

Variations of Venison Burrito

I'm no stranger to turning anything and everything into a burrito. Add some sour cream, Greek yogurt, or avocado dip? A dash of hot sauce? There aren't many things that aren't absolutely delicious in burrito form.

Burrito w/ Black Beans, Rice, & Grilled Salmon

Banana & Black Truffle Quiche Burrito

Burrito w/ Vermicelli, Squash, Avocado, & Sprouts

Burrito w/ Venison Shepherd's Pie

This Venison Burrito consists of Shepherd's Pie w/ onion, garlic, carrot, tomato, Guinness beer, corn, peas, jalapeño, potato, and gruyère.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Latin American, Mexican

Servings 1 serving

Equipment

• Skillet w/ Lid (Preferably Cast Iron)
• Stovetop

Ingredients

  

Venison Shepherd's Pie

• 1 yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 carrots diced
• splash olive oil
• 1 lbs. venison ground
• dash cumin
• dash coriander
• dash smoked paprika
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tomato minced (or 2 tbsp. tomato paste)
• 3/4 c. broth (vegetable or beef)
• 3/4 c. Guinness (or dark beer or broth of choice)
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 c. corn
• 1/2 c. peas
• 1 jalapeño minced
• 1½ lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
• 1/3 c. mozzarella grated
• 1/3 c. gruyère grated

Avocado Dip

• 6 avocados ripe
• 6 cloves garlic optional
• 2 jalapeños
• 6 limes juiced
• 1 ½ c. Greek Yogurt
• 2 c. pecans
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• dash salt
• dash pepper

Burrito

• 1/3 c. venison shepherd's pie
• 1 tortilla shell
• splash water
• dollop avocado dip (optional, omit or substitute sour cream)
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• This Shepherd's Pie w/ Venison & Gruyère Aligot recipe requires a large bowl, large pot, skillet, stovetop, and paper towels. It takes about a half hour to toss together, most of which is spent cooking the vermicelli and frying tofu. As the rest of the salad is raw and simply mixed together.
• I also topped this burrito with Potluck Avocado Dip w/ Pecans & Jalapeños. This is entirely optional. You can easily substitute sour cream or omit it entirely. Although this avocado dip is my new favorite thing and I highly recommend giving it a try. It's kind of a mix between hummus and guacamole. And is absolutely delicious!

Cook Tortilla

• Preheat the pan on medium-high. If you aren't using cast iron, make sure to lightly oil the pan to prevent sticking.
• Wet both sides of the tortilla and add to the preheated pan. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown.
• Remove the tortilla from heat and turn the stove off. Add toppings and fold the burrito.
• Turn the stove back up to medium and add the tortilla to the skillet immediately, before it preheats. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown. Rotate until all sides are cooked.
• The first side will likely take longer to cook than the subsequent sides, which may toast in as little as 2 minutes. Adjust the temperature if it's cooking too quickly and burning or too slowly and cracking.
• Top with avocado dip and hot sauce of choice. I like to use Greek yogurt because it's oftentimes healthier than sour cream and this new avocado dip that I'm obsessed with is fantastic. Omit or substitute with a vegan alternative for an entirely animal-product free recipe.
• Serve immediately. You can reheat burritos by lightly wetting them and reheating, but they are never quite the same as they are fresh!

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For a more in-depth article and tips and tricks on avocado dip, I have a distinct recipe for Avocado Dip w/ Greek Yogurt, Walnuts, & Lime as well as a double recipe for  Potluck Avocado Dip w/ Greek Yogurt & Walnuts.
• For a more in-depth article on burritos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Burritos. I highly suggest using cast iron and there is precise temperature that works best for cooking at that may vary slightly depending on your stovetop and type of skillet. If you're having trouble rolling thea burrito without cracking, there are solutions for this as well!