Ground Bison Shepard's Pie

This recipe is a bit of a mix of recipes I found.  Originally my goal was to be healthier...hence the ground bison...in the end I think I pushed the fat content up a bit beyond healthy.  Although I don't think it's that bad...and tasted amazing!

Ingredients

Ground Bison
Flour
Paprika
Potatoes
Salt
Pepper
3-4 strips of bacon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Onion
Chopped Carrot
Sliced Mushrooms
About 3-4 Chopped Garlic Cloves
Red Wine
Chicken Broth
Butter
Parmesan (Grated)
Bay Leaves
Thyme
Sage
Milk

First, toss the ground bison with a tablespoon paprika, salt, pepper and enough flour to coat.

Chop the bacon and heat in a large pan.  Remove to paper towel.  Add the chopped onion and let it go translucent, then add carrots and mushrooms and garlic.  Then add the bison and cook.  Add about a 3/4 cup of wine and let it cook down.  Then add chicken stock (about 2 cups), bay leaves, bacon, thyme and sage.  Simmer until the sauce thickens, up to 2 hours.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water, then drain and mix with a tablespoon butter and a bit of milk.

Preheat oven to 400.

Pour bison mixture into backing pan and top with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle parmesan on top.  Cook about 30-40 minutes.