Your twist on shepherd's pie, swapping the mashed potato top for cornbread. (Technically a cottage pie, since it's beef — shepherd's pie is lamb.) The cornbread bakes right on top of the hot filling, soaking up a little gravy at the seam. Lard in the batter is a great use of your rendered fat.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1½ lb ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tsp dried thyme, salt, and pepper
Cornbread topping
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp melted butter or lard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Brown the beef with the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until the vegetables soften. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then sprinkle over the flour and stir. Add the Worcestershire, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper, and simmer until thickened, 5 minutes. Stir in the peas.
- Spread the filling into two 8" foil pans (or one 9x13).
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk the milk, egg, and melted butter, then combine wet and dry until just mixed.
- Spread the cornbread batter evenly over the hot filling. Bake 20–25 minutes until the cornbread is set and golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Make-Ahead & Storage
The cornbread is best baked fresh, so freeze the filling on its own (flat in bags, up to 3 months), then thaw, spread into a pan, and top with fresh batter to bake. If you'd rather freeze it assembled, freeze unbaked and bake from frozen at 375°F for ~50 minutes covered, then uncover to finish — the cornbread will be a touch denser.
Notes
Fold ½ cup shredded cheddar or a diced jalapeño into the cornbread batter for a loaded version. A tablespoon of Smokehouse rub in the filling deepens the flavor.