Name: Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed; 4-5 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed; Water, to cover; Pinch salt; ½ c. chicken stock, preferably organic; ¼ c. heavy cream; 3 T. unsalted butter; Sea salt and black pepper, to taste; 1½ lbs. ground beef; 2 t. fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped; 2 T. Worcestershire sauce; Sea salt and black pepper, to taste; ¾ c. frozen corn kernels, thawed; ¾ c. frozen peas, thawed; 1¼ c. sliced frozen carrots, thawed; Smoked paprika; Fresh chives, chopped

Shepherd’s Pie is one of the classics of British cooking. It’s like Lasagna is to Italian cuisine or the burger to American cooking. There are tons of ways to make it, loads of variations and all have that simplicity that is perfect when you want comfort food without the messing around.

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Let’s dive into how to make this Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie and why the cast iron makes all the difference to the dish.

Shepherd or cottage?

Before we started, there’s a little terminology to come to terms with. Technically, it’s a Cottage Pie! That’s because a Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb mine (get it, sheep, shepherd?) whereas a Cottage Pie is made with beef mince. There’s even a Cumberland Pie that’s very similar but has slightly different ingredients with the beef.

But let’s not worry too much about that for now. Because most people will want to make it with beef mince, we decided to just stick with the better-known term.

Why use a cast iron skillet?

Most of the time when you see a shepherd’s pie recipe, it will put everything in a casserole dish. And while you can definitely do it that way, I wanted to showcase the cast iron skillet here because we are having a cast iron cookware theme this month.

Pouring olive oil into a skillet on a stovetop

The big benefit to making the dish this way is that you only need two pans, one to cook the potatoes and the other for everything else. I’m always a fan of anything that cuts down on the dishes! You could also do something in the middle and use an enamel coated cast iron casserole dishes to cook the oven part of the dish.

More recipe inspiration

Looking for more ideas to use your skillet? Why not try this Parmesan Breakfast Potatoes recipes? Or another simple skillet recipe would be Cheesy Chicken Cutlets, easy to make and very tasty!

What you need to make Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie

Mashed Potato Ingredients:

2 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-5 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Water, to cover
Pinch salt
½ c. chicken stock, preferably organic
¼ c. heavy cream
3 T. unsalted butter
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Remaining Ingredients:

1½ lbs. ground beef
2 t. fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
¾ c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
¾ c. frozen peas, thawed
1¼ c. sliced frozen carrots, thawed

For garnish:

Smoked paprika
Fresh chives, chopped

Kitchen equipment

Large saucepan
Large skillet
Potato masher
Plastic spatula

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Place the top oven rack in the centre position and pre-heat oven to 400°F.

STEP 2: Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot and add water until the potatoes are completely covered, with an additional inch or two on top. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

STEP 3: While the potatoes are boiling, add the beef, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce to a 10” cast iron skillet set over medium heat. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently until the beef is completely browned and broken into small pieces, approximately 8-10 minutes.

STEP 4: Remove skillet from heat and carefully drain any excess fat from the skillet, if necessary. Set aside.

STEP 5: Add chicken stock, heavy cream, and butter to the boiled potatoes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and mash with a hand masher or whip with a hand mixer until smooth. If necessary, add a little extra chicken broth to reach the desired consistency. Set aside.

STEP 6: Evenly spread the thawed corn, peas, and carrots across the browned ground beef in the cast iron skillet. Top with an even layer of the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with some smoked paprika.

STEP 7: Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through and the potatoes are nicely browned on top. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Serve immediately garnished with fresh chives.

Storing the recipe

After cooking: You can store any leftovers in the fridge once they have cooled down. Pop each portion in an airtight container and keep for up to three days.

Freezing the recipe: You can also make this recipe up then freeze it. If you want to make it that way, I’d recommend putting everything together in a casserole dish rather than the skillet as you can freeze it that way. Then simply lift it out, heat and serve.

Recipe tips

When you come to lift out this skillet shepherd’s pie, make sure you are using a plastic or silicone spatula. Otherwise, anything metal can scratch the surface of the pan and remove the non-stick coating.

If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce or aren’t a fan, you can swap this for three tablespoons of beef broth (or stock for my UK readers).

Yield: 4-6 portions