If you’re like me, then Shepard’s Pie is one of your favorite dishes to eat. I usually make shepards pie in a regular baking dish, but I decided to jazz it up this time!

I baked this one in a cast-iron skillet and what really make it special was the way that the beef was prepared. It added another layer of flavor and complexity that you don’t get in a normal Shepard’s pie.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef (or turkey if you perfer)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 pkg of onion soup mix
• 1 c beef broth
• 2 c vegetable of your choice (fresh or frozen)

Mashed potatoes

• 4 yukon potatoes
• Butter
• Milk
• Salt and pepper

Before someone says something about my lack of vegetables in my Shepard’s pie: I like peas and carrots, but my significant other doesn’t so we just use corn.

Directions

1. Prepare vegetables: dice onion, mince garlic, drain/rinse vegetables (if applicable)
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF
3. Boil potatoes and prepare your mash potatoes how you prefer
4. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat
   • Be careful not to get the pan too hot. You don’t want there to be steam coming off of the skillet
5. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes
6. Add the onion and garlic to the beef. Cook until transluscent, about 2 minutes
7. Add red pepper flakes, worchestershire sauce, onion coup mix and beef broth. Stir to combine
8. Add vegetable and heat until the liquid has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat
9. Using the back of a spoon, press down the beef/vegetable mixture so it is one compressed layer. Place the mash potatoes on top and smooth them out
   • Be careful when you do this because if you press too hard them some of the juice will spill over
10. Place the cast-iron on top of a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven to bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown on top

This Shepard’s pie is yummy!

Test Kitchen: Opinion and Changes

I found this recipe on Jo Cooks. I had never tried changing the way the beef is prepared, but it adds so much flavor! Even if you didn’t have a cast-iron skillet, I would recommend making the beef this way and then baking it as normal.

Happy Cooking!