Cast Iron Skillet Stout Shepherd’s Pie
Got a cast iron skillet? Got beer? Got beef? Got veg? Well, let's use these to make this classic dish from ye old country! Shepherd's pie is a yummy. It combines basic ingedients with meat and is topped with a luschious mashed potatoe lid.
Equipment
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
Shepherd's Pie Base
- 1 lb Fresh Ground Beef 90% Lean
- 1 bunch Fresh Scallions chopped, separating the white from the green
- 4 ribs Celery chopped
- 4-5 each Carrots chopped into coins
- 12 oz Frozen Peas
- 1 pkg Sliced Portobello Mushrooms
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 tbsp All-purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Worcester Sauce
- 2 tbsp Vegetable or Tomato Puree
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme or two tsp fresh thyme leaves (preferred)
- 1 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning use salt, pepper, and garlic if you don't have this steak seasoning
- 1 bottle Stout any bottle of beer will do, but Stout will give this dish an extra punch of flavor
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 lbs Red Potatoes three fist-sized potatoes work well in this recipe
- Scallion Greens get these when you separate the white from green in the prep for the pie base
- 1/2 cup Half-and-half
- 3 tbsp Sour Cream
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 tsp Salt
Instructions
Shepherd's Pie Base
- Using a seasoned 12" cast iron skillet, add olive oil and bring to medium-high heat on the stove top. Add the chopped celery and carrots, stir and cover. Stir every 2 minutes, to make sure the carrots soften and nothing sticks to the bottom. After about 10 minutes, remove from the pan, leaving any remaining oil.
- Crumble beef into the pan and fry, breaking the beef up into small bits. When just pink, add the Montreal Steak Seasoning, Worcester, puree, and mushrooms. Combine well and continue to sauté.
- Add flour to the mixture, combine, and then stir-in the stout (beer).
- Add the sautéd carrots and celery. Add the thyme. Add the frozen peas. Stir well to ensure all of the vegetables and meat are well combined.
Mashed Potatoes
- If you use red-skin potatoes, leave the skin on. Cut the potatoes into cubes/quarters. Add them to salted, boiling water. Boil until the largest pieces won't stay on a fork or fall apart.
- Drain the potatoes and add half-and-half, butter, salt, and the chopped scallion tops.
- Mash the potatoes and whip them a bit. They need to be sturdy, but not lumpy to spread on top of the pie.
- Turn off the heat on the stove top.
Make the Shepherd's Pie
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Line the bottom rack with foil, or place a baking sheet that's larger than the cast iron pan to catch anything that might bubble over.
- Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the shepherd's pie, bringing it right up to the edge of the pan so it completes a nice cap.
- Bake at 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes. If the potatoes on top don't brown in that time, use the broiler on low to brown the top just a bit.
Notes
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet