Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Despite its status as a classic comfort food, there's nothing comforting about the many steps and piles of dirty dishes that shepherd's pie usually requires. Using the cast-iron skillet as our sautéing, baking, and serving pan streamlined the process. We used ground beef as our base and added tomato paste, garlic, and thyme to bump up the flavor. Flour, chicken broth, and Worcestershire sauce were all that we needed to create a rich gravy, and a final addition of green peas added a pop of freshness. To give our potato topping needed structure, we added egg, milk, and butter. We used a zipper-lock bag to pipe the potato mixture on top of the pie and finished the dish under the broiler to give it an attractive golden crust.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 ½ pounds 93 percent lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas

KEY EQUIPMENT

• 12-Inch Cast-Iron Skillets
• Measuring Spoons

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Don't use ground beef that's fattier than 93 percent or the dish will be greasy.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cover potatoes with water in large saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon salt, bring to simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to now-empty saucepan. Using potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth. Whisk milk and egg together, then stir into potatoes along with 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; cover and set aside.

2. Heat 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add carrots, onion, and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in peas and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Transfer potato mixture to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and snip off 1 corner to create 1-inch opening. Pipe mixture in even layer over filling. Smooth mixture with back of spoon, then use tines of fork to make ridges on surface. Place skillet in rimmed baking sheet and broil until topping is golden brown and crusty, 5 to 10 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.