Skillet Shepherd’s Pie

My son and I made this dish together for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner. We’ve been keeping ourselves busy while we’re stuck at home! He is a big fan of mashed potatoes, so he made the topping himself. I loved the ridged pattern on the finished crust.

Although the recipe is streamlined to be made in one skillet, it was still a little bit time-consuming. (Thankfully, we had plenty of time!) The plus side is that it can be prepared with ingredients that are readily available in your pantry and freezer. It definitely created less dishes too. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from America’s Test Kitchen via The Associated Press. It was originally published in their book, Cook it in Cast Iron. I used a combination of Dutch yellow baby potatoes and red potatoes instead of russet potatoes, ground turkey instead of ground beef, increased the amount of garlic, and modified the method. Great comfort food.

Yield: Serves 6

• 2 pounds potatoes, Dutch yellow baby potatoes (unpeeled), red potatoes (unpeeled), or russets (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces)
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 1 large egg
• 6 T unsalted butter, divided (4 T melted)
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey or 93% lean ground beef
• 2 T tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas

1. Cover potatoes with water in large saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon salt, bring to simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes for unpeeled baby potatoes or 8 to 10 minutes for peeled and cut russet potatoes.
2. Drain potatoes and return them to saucepan. If using unpeeled baby potatoes, remove the peels at this point.
3. Using a potato ricer, process all of the potatoes. (Alternatively the potatoes can be mashed until smooth.)
4. In a measuring cup, whisk milk and egg together. Stir into potatoes along with 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cover and set aside.
5. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.
6. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.
7. Add carrots, onion, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
8. Add ground meat and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
10. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
11. Slowly stir in stock and Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.
12. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
13. Off the heat, stir in peas and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
14. Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.
15. Dollop the mashed potatoes over the top of the filling. Smooth topping with a knife or the back of a spoon, then use the tines of a fork to make ridges on the surface.
16. Place the skillet in the oven and broil until topping is golden brown and crusty, 5 to 10 minutes.
17. Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.

My daughter has also been keeping herself busy, of course. After cleaning out our refrigerator as part of a Home & Careers homework assignment, she handcrafted a festive St. Patrick’s Day bow tie for our cat, Franklin. He modeled it on his Instagram page!

To see more of her amazing photos, check out franklin.the.fluff on Instagram. Super cute. ❤

Firehouse Chili Gumbo

This is the last “soup” that I have to share (for now!) in my cozy soup series. 😉 It would be perfect for any Super Bowl Sunday feast. It was layered with flavor.

The recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sam Sifton. The original recipe was adapted from the one that a Louisiana firefighter named Jeremy Chauvin entered into a national cook-off run by Hormel Foods in 2017, and that took home the prize for America’s Best Firehouse Chili. It uses a roux as a base, making it a chili “gumbo.” I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

For the Chili:

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
• 3 pounds ground beef or ground turkey, ideally coarse-ground
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons chile powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons steak sauce (I substituted soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

For the Gumbo:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 2 medium shallots, peeled and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 3 ribs celery, trimmed and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
• 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 to 2 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce, or to taste

For Serving:

• sliced scallions, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and/or tortilla chips, for garnish, as desired
• corn bread or corn muffins, optional

1. Make the chili. Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. (I used an enameled cast iron pot.)
2. Working in batches, cook the ground meat, stirring often, until it has begun to brown at the edges. Using a slotted spoon, transfer browned meat to a bowl.
3. Pour off excess fat, turn heat down to medium and return the browned meat to the skillet or pot.
4. Add salt, peppers, chile powder, turmeric, oregano and cumin, and stir to combine.
5. Add steak sauce/soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and diced tomatoes, and stir again. Cover the skillet or pot, and cook, stirring a few times, for 15 minutes or so.
6. Make the gumbo. Place a large pot with a heavy bottom over medium heat, and put the butter and oil into it. When the butter is melted and foaming, sprinkle the flour into the pan, and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture is golden brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Add the onion, shallots, bell peppers, celery and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have started to soften, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Make the chili gumbo. Add the beef mixture to the pot with the vegetables along with the tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomato juice and ketchup, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes, then add apple-cider vinegar and hot sauce to taste.
9. Take the pot off the heat, and serve, or allow to cool and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to cure. Heat before serving.
10. Serve garnished with scallions, shredded cheese, and/or tortilla chips, as desired.

One Year Ago: Squash & Pork Stir-Fry

Two Years Ago: Duchess Baked Potatoes

Three Years Ago:

• Velvet Chicken with Mustard Sauce
• Classic Potato Gratin

Four Years Ago:

• Dark Meat Chicken Chili
• Broccoli & Mozzarella Potluck Stromboli

Five Years Ago:

• Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce
•  Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Garlic & Sage

Swedish Meatloaf with Caramelized Cabbage (Kalpudding)

I planned to make this Swedish dish after spending the afternoon at IKEA. 🙂 I knew that we could buy the lingonberry preserves for the topping during our shopping spree too.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sam Sifton. I used a combination of ground pork and ground turkey instead of ground beef. Next time I would double the sauce- loved it. Sifton recommended serving it with boiled potatoes. We ate it with mashed new potatoes (my husband’s request) and roasted asparagus. It was such wonderful comfort food. Great.

Yield: 6 servings

For the Meatloaf:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 head green cabbage, approximately 3 pounds, cored and shredded
• 3 tablespoons molasses or golden syrup
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• ⅓ cup chicken, turkey, beef or vegetable stock, ideally homemade or low-sodium store-bought (or water)

For the Sauce:

• ⅓ cup lingonberry preserves
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• dash of Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

1. Shred the cabbage in a food processor.
2. Heat oven to 350, preferably on convection.
3. Put a large pan over medium-high heat, and add the butter. When it starts to foam, add the cabbage and molasses, lower the heat to medium and sprinkle with salt. Cook slowly, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage is caramelized, approximately 20-25 minutes.
4. While the cabbage is cooking, lightly mix the meats in a large bowl, then add the onion, cream, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Mix again to combine.
5. When the cabbage is done, add about a third of it to the meat mixture, and mix to combine.
6. Grease an 8-inch-square or 8 x 10-inch baking pan, and transfer the meat mixture to it, spreading it out to cover the whole surface evenly.
7. Spread remaining cabbage over the meat, pour the stock or water over the top and place in the oven, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, to cook for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cabbage is very, very caramelized, almost dry and crunchy at the edges.
8. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.
9. While the meat and cabbage cooks, make the sauce. Heat lingonberry preserves, vinegar and butter in a small pot set over medium heat, then add Worcestershire sauce to taste. Serve alongside the kalpudding.

One Year Ago:

• North African Meatballs

Two Years Ago:

• Pork & Ricotta Meatballs in Parmesan Broth

Three Years Ago:

• Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Thyme

Four Years Ago:

• Italian Braised Pork
• Pastitsio