We’ve made this tamale pie with both elk burger and venison burger. I’ve had no complaints and nobody can decide which one they enjoyed more than the other. We might be making this next with antelope burger. It’s an easy recipe and if you don’t have stone ground cornmeal use the basic cornmeal… heck, I bet a box of Jiffy Cornbread would be just as good. I hope you enjoy this as much as our family has. If you have other Tamale Pie recipes, be sure to drop us a line and share!
CORNMEAL CRUST TOPPING
- 1 cup Stone Ground Cornmeal
- 2 cups cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- 4 tablespoons butter
Add cornmeal, water and salt in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat being sure to stir ingredients together until it begins to thicken. Add butter and remove from heat.
FILLING INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb ground elk burger or venison
- 4 oz diced green chilies
- 15 oz canned corn (drain liquid)
- 1 1/2 cup salsa
- 6 oz whole black olives
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper or cayenne
- salt and pepper (optional)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheese
DIRECTIONS
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place cast iron skillet over medium heat and brown burger. Add green chilies, corn, salsa and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add black olives and cheese to mixture and stir. Remove from heat. Spoon cornmeal mix over the top of the filling. Spread out filling as best as you can. Place cast iron skillet into oven and cook until crust is browned.
- Serve with sour cream, fresh jalapenos or guacamole.