Submitted by: Marcia
Attributed to: America's Test Kitchen
Category: Casseroles
Description: Variation on popular pub grub & worth the effort
Prep time: 15
Cooking time: 60
Servings: 4-6
Difficulty rating: 3
Ingredients:
2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, not melted
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped finely
1.5 pounds 93% lean ground beef (no fattier or dish will be greasy)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1.5 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
Special tools/utensils needed:
10" cast iron skillet
potato masher
1 gallon zip-lock bag
Directions:
Cover the potatoes with water in a large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon salt, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook potatoes until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to the now empty saucepan.
Using potato masher, mash the potatoes along with the milk, egg, 4 Tablespoons melted butter, 1 Teaspoon salt and 1/2 Teaspoon pepper. Cover and set aside.
Heat 10" cast iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in the skillet.
Add carrots, onions, 3/4 tsp salt & cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in flour and cook for another minute.
Slowly stir in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
Take off the heat, stir in peas and season with salt & pepper to taste.
Adjust the top oven rack 5" from the broiler element and turn the broiler to low.
Transfer the potato mixture to a 1 gallon zipper-lock bag and snip off 1 corner to create a 1" opening. Pipe the potato mixture in an even layer over the filling. Smooth the mixture with the back of a spoon, then use fork tines to mark the surface. Place the skillet on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until topping is golden brown and crusty, about 5-10 minutes.
Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.