But-and-Ben Pie – Baked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven

A But and Ben Pie is like Cottage Pie and similar to Shepherd’s Pie. Baked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Surprise Ingredients.

How did I come up with the But and Ben Pie Recipe? First a bit of history:

But and Ben (or butt and ben) is a simple style for a two-roomed cottage. The But-and-Ben has its origins in Scotland. The Scots would call their homes “bouten binnen” or outside and inside. The outer room was the kitchen and the inner room was the area they “lived” and likely not an area shared with visitors. The But and Ben was a cottage (simply speaking).

With that bit of history, I named this recipe But-and-Ben Pie. I just couldn’t really name it “Shepherd’s Pie;” I am using beef and not Lamb. And, Cottage Pie…well…that’s what inspired this recipe. But, I couldn’t figure out a good, easy way to incorporate the mashed potatoes for the topping of this recipe. And, that’s not to mention all the other ingredients…it would only be a “hint” of Cottage Pie; not really a Cottage Pie recipe.

Scotland and potatoes? No, I don’t think of potatoes when I think of Scotland either. When I think of potatoes, I think of Ireland…and Idaho. Scotland is not as famous for potatoes but then again… Potatoes were first cultivated in Scotland around the early to mid 1700s. They became so dependent on the potato that in “1845, the blight came. The following year, the crop failed completely. Famine spread through the Highlands, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. It could have caused devastation equal to that seen in Ireland, but aid was given by landowners, the Free Church and, eventually, the government.” https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2017/12/scottish-food-history/

I love Cottage Pie and I love Shepherd’s Pie. And I so wanted to create a version of one of these recipes that I could prepare in the camp cast iron Dutch oven without having to either bring mashed potatoes out there with me or having to do all the steps necessary to have prepared mashed potatoes in camp.

Then…it dawned on me…TATER TOTS. Who doesn’t love tater tots?? Tell everyone in camp we’re having peas and carrots for dinner and they’ll be calling for hot dogs. Tell everyone you’re making a dish with hamburger and tots, and…well…are we sure a 12-inch Dutch is big enough?

This is camp food. There ain’t no calories in camp food.

A word on peas and carrots versus mixed vegetables

Mixed vegetables usually have green beans. And, while green beans work very well in this recipe, they do take longer to cook. If you are using mixed vegetables with green beans, you will need to make sure the green beans are done before adding the toppings.

Likewise, many packages of mixed vegetables have corn as an ingredient. Corn will add a bit of sweetness to this recipe. That sweetness is not altogether undesirable; it’s rather a nice change to the flavor of this recipe. Nonetheless, this is just a heads up regarding the beans and corn if you decide to use mixed vegetables in this recipe.

The Cast Iron

This recipe will do very well in a 12-inch DEEP camp cast iron Dutch oven. A 10-inch may work but I’d suggest a deep 10-inch Dutch oven.

If you are using a shallow or regular 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven, your broiling times will be different. With a shallow Dutch, remember: less is more. Less briquettes on the top will allow for more cooking time of the tater tots and let them toast slower. Too much heat will cause the tots to toast too fast with the centers likely not cooking through.

Ingredients

Meat Ingredients

1 Slice of a Thick-Cut Smoky Bacon Strip

2 Pounds of Ground Beef

1 Higher Fat Percentage and 1 Lower Fat Percentage

Onions

1 Yellow Onion (chopped or diced)

3-6 Cloves of Minced Garlic

Vegetables

2 12-ounce Bags of Peas and Carrots

1 10-ounce Bag of Cauliflower Rice

Sauce Mixture

1-ounce Beef or Brown Gravy Mix
12 Ounces of Beer

3 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce

1/3rd Cup of White Flour

2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard

3 Ounces of Tomato Paste

Herb Mixture

2 Teaspoons of Dry Rosemary

2 Teaspoons of Dry Thyme

1-2 Tablespoons of Smoked Paprika

2 Teaspoons of Salt (to taste)

2 Teaspoons of Pepper (to taste)

Toppings

28 Ounces Frozen Tater Tots

2 Cups Shredded Cheese

On-the-Plate

Onion Chives

Sour cream

This recipe may seem to be ingredient-heavy…and yeah…it is but also isn’t. Eleven of the twenty-two ingredients are for the sauce and herb mixture. Many can be mixed and prepared at home and ported to camp and “wait” until you are ready to cook.

Instructions

Step 1: Chop the onions, garlic, and chives. Baton cut your bacon and keep it at the ready.

Step 2: Mix the Herbs and Spices

2 tsp salt (to taste)

2 tsp pepper (to taste)

2 tsp dry rosemary

2 tsp dry thyme

Step 3: Create the Sauce

1 oz package of brown or beef gravy mix

1/3rd cup of white flour

1-2 Tbsp smoked paprika

12-ounces of beer

3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2-3 ounces of tomato paste

2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Use a whisk to blend all of the Sauce ingredients. Let the sauce rest under a towel or other cover to keep the bugs out of the sauce.

Don’t fret about getting the tomato paste and the Dijon mustard measurements just right. Just use a regular spoon to scoop out ½ of the tomato paste from a 6-ounce can and just a couple of spoonful of the Dijon will work A-OK.

Step 4: Over a very high heat (24-30 briquettes or the equivalent), add the bacon batons and render the fat. If you are using oil instead of bacon, add a tablespoon or two of oil to the pot and let it heat up.

Step 5: Brown your beef but don’t cook it all the way. Just let it brown. Leave the juices and fat in the pot. Dab up any excess oil if your meats produce too much.

Step 6: Move the browning beef to one side of the Dutch oven. Use the oil and broth from the browning beef to sauté the onions and garlic.

Step 7: Once the onions and garlic are to your liking, add the herbs to the pot and stir up everything very well. Level out the ingredients over the surface of the Dutch oven’s bottom.

Step 8: Add the two bags of peas and carrots and the cauliflower rice to the top of the ingredients already in the Dutch oven. Then add the sauce mixture. Let it sit for a bit and then stir everything up very well. Smooth out the ingredients.

Step 9: Return the lid to the pot and set your heat for a goal temperature of 350°F / 175°C. Place 8 briquettes under the Dutch oven and 16 briquettes on the lid. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Step 10: After 15-20 minutes of bake-time, pull the lid from the pot and stir the ingredients to rotate them all about. Level off the ingredients. Return the lid to the pot and bake for another 15 minutes.

Step 11: After a total of 30-35 minutes of bake time, test the peas and carrots for doneness. If the peas and carrots are done, then move to step 12. If you are using mixed vegetables with green beans, use the green beans’ texture as a test of doneness.

Step 12: After leveling off the ingredients, add your toppings of tater tots and cheese. You can add the cheese before the tater tots (my favorite way). Or, you can add the cheese to the top of the tater tots. It’s up to you.

Step 13: After all the toppings are in place, return the lid to the pot and remove the bottom heat. Load that lid up with 24-30 hot briquettes and broil for about 10 minutes. Then take a peek. Keep broiling and checking until the cheese or the tots are toasted and cooked to your liking.

Note: If you are using a shallow or regular 12-inch camp cast iron Dutch oven, your broiling times will be different. With a shallow Dutch, remember: less is more. Less briquettes on the top will allow for more cooking time of the tater tots and let them toast slower. Too much heat will cause the tots to toast too fast with the centers likely not cooking through.

Summary

And the recipe is yours to try! Serve this with sour cream and your chopped onion chives.

This is one of my favorite meals to cook. It does seem ingredient-heavy…but then again…we’re creating a full meal here. Meat, vegetables, and beer. Yes. Beer. Beer is loaded with B Vitamins. Well, loaded compared to what? Na. We won’t get into that. But, I can say that there is more B6 in beer than a McDonald’s hamburger! (tongue-in-cheek).

“Beer has vitamins A, D, E, K and C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, biotin, magnesium, ion, sodium, zinc, selenium, chloride, silica, sodium, magnesium, copper and manganese.” (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10020662)

https://scot.us/tastes-of-scotland-cottage-pie/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_potato

https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2017/12/scottish-food-history/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/But_and_ben

https://www.livestrong.com/article/263290-list-of-vitamins-in-beer/

https://www.eatthismuch.com/calories/mcdonalds-hamburger-5053

CHEERS!

You all keep on cooking in those cast iron beauties and enjoying those glasses of that fermented barley pop.

We’ll see you next time.

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