But-and-Ben Pie - Baked in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven
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.
Ingredients
Meat Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Ground Beef - one pound of a higher fat content.
- 1 Slice Thick Cut Smoky Bacon - Optional - Baton this bacon. 1-2 Tablespoons of oil to substitute.
Onion Ingredients
- 1 Onion - Chopped or Diced
- 3-5 Cloves Garlic Diced
Vegetables
- 2 12oz Bags of Peas and Carrots
- 1 10oz Bag of Cauliflower Rice
Sauce Mixture
- 1 1oz Package of Beef or Brown Gravy Powder Mix
- 12 ounces Beer - lager that is not too hoppy
- 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- ⅓ Cup White Flower
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 3 ounces Tomato Paste
Herb Mixture
- 1-2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Dry Rosemary
- 2 teaspoon Dry Thyme
- 2 teaspoon Pepper (to taste)
- 2 teaspoon Salt (to taste)
Toppings
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheese
- 28 Ounces Frozen Tater Tots - diced
On The Plate
- 1 Bunch Green Onion Chives - green parts
- 1 Dolup Sour Cream
Instructions
- Chop the onions, garlic, and chives. Baton cut your bacon and keep it at the ready.
- Mix the Herbs and Spices. Keep at the ready.
- Create the Sauce - Blend the sauce mixture with a whisk. Keep at the ready.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Once the top is toasted and the tater tots are soft and cooked, the dish is done. ENJOY!!
Notes
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).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!