Shepherd’s Pie with Potato Gratin (Beef Chuck Version)
This is technically a cottage pie, since it’s made with beef, but most of us still call it shepherd’s pie. Slow-braised chuck, Italian sausage, fennel and beet cook down in Pinot Noir. Layers of sliced potato and caramelized onion cream, finished with Gruyere, bake on top until deep golden.
Equipment
- 1 13 inch cast iron or casserole dish of similar size and depth
Ingredients
Beef filling
- 2¼ to 2¾ lb beef chuck small chop (0.5 inch or less)
- ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper for the beef
- ½ lb mild Italian sausage
- 1 fennel bulb diced
- 1 large beet diced
- ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper for the vegetables
- ½ tbsp dried rosemary
- ½ tbsp dried parsley
- ½ tbsp dried thyme
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup Pinot Noir
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2½ cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided (1½ tbsp for the beef, 1½ tbsp for the vegetables)
Caramelized onions and cream sauce
- 2 onions thin sliced
- ½ tsp kosher salt for the onions
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ cup white wine
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- A pinch of black pepper
Potato layers
- 2½ lb russet potatoes 4 to 5, peeled and sliced less than ¼ inch thick
- 6 oz Gruyere shredded
Instructions
Caramelize the onions (45 min to 1 hr)
- Set a pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the 2 sliced onions and ½ tsp kosher salt in an even layer. No oil is needed.
- Cook slowly, stirring occasionally. When browned bits start sticking, add 1 to 2 tbsp water and scrape them up.
- Keep cooking and deglazing as needed until the onions are deep golden. Heat and water amounts change the time, from 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Make the beef filling (while the onions cook)
- Set the 13-inch cast iron over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage, then remove it from the pan.
- Add 1½ tbsp olive oil. Season the chuck with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper, then brown it in batches for a good sear. Set the beef aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1½ tbsp olive oil. Add the fennel, beet, rosemary, parsley, thyme, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Cook until softened.
- Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
- Deglaze with the Pinot Noir and reduce by half.
- Add the flour and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the beef, sausage and peas. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper before layering the potatoes.
Finish the creamed onions
- Melt the butter into the caramelized onions. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook just until fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by about half.
- Add the cream, Dijon, 1 tsp kosher salt and a pinch of pepper. Simmer gently for 1 minute to thicken the sauce.
Assemble and bake
- Preheat the oven to 425°F while the filling finishes.
- Flatten the beef filling in the cast iron.
- Shingle a first layer of potatoes over the filling.
- Spread half of the creamed onions over the potatoes.
- Add a second potato layer, then the remaining creamed onions, then a final potato layer.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1½ hours.
- Remove the foil and spread the shredded Gruyere evenly over the top. Bake uncovered for 1 more hour, or until browned as you like.
- Rest for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Start the onions first, then build the beef filling while they cook. Prep everything before you start: peel and slice the potatoes, slice and dice the onions, fennel and beet, mince the garlic, and chop the chuck.