Cast Iron Shepherd's Pie

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: 

1. 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. 

2. 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.

3. Heat 10" cast iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in the skillet. 

4. Add carrots, onions, 3/4 tsp salt & cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. 

5. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes.

6. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

7. Stir in flour and cook for another minute. 

8. 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. 

9. Take off the heat, stir in peas and season with salt & pepper to taste.

10. Adjust the top oven rack 5" from the broiler element and turn the broiler to low. 

11. 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. 

12. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.