Dutch Oven Shepherd's Pie
Ground beef, vegetables, and a potato-flake lid, baked under coals in a 12-inch dutch oven.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 56
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 7, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 50 min
- total time
- 65 min
- water
- 700 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Ground beef | 2 lb | cooler item, cook it the first night out |
|---|---|---|
| Green pepper | 1 | diced |
| Onion | 1 | diced |
| Celery | 2 stalks | diced |
| Diced tomatoes | 1 can | |
| Frozen mixed vegetables | 1 small bag | they thaw in the cooler and act as ice |
| Instant mashed potato flakes | enough for 3 cups prepared | |
| Cheddar cheese | 8 oz | shred it in camp, pre-shredded clumps |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Build a fire and burn it down to coals. You want steady briquette-sized embers, not flames.
- Set the 12-inch dutch oven on a bed of coals hot enough to fry, roughly 375F, and brown the beef. Break it up as it goes and pour off the worst of the grease.
- Add the diced pepper, onion, and celery. Stir five minutes, until they soften and lose their edge.
- Stir in the tomatoes with their liquid and the bag of mixed vegetables. Salt and pepper it now, while you can still taste and adjust.
- Boil water separately and make 3 cups of mashed potatoes from the flakes. Keep them stiff.
- Spread the potatoes over the meat in an even layer to the rim. Seal the surface completely so the steam stays under it.
- Lid on. Move coals so most sit on the lid and only a thin ring stays underneath, around 350F. Bake 30 minutes.
- Lift the lid, scatter the shredded cheddar over the top, and bake another 10 minutes until it melts and browns at the edges.
Coals, not flames. A dutch oven bakes by radiating heat from cast iron, so you set it on embers and pile more on the lid. Most of the heat belongs on top here, because the job in the second half is browning a potato crust, not scorching the meat underneath.
The potato lid is structural. Spread edge to edge with no gaps and it traps steam, which is what finishes the vegetables and keeps the filling from drying out over thirty minutes. Instant flakes are better than real potatoes for this: no peeling, no boiling pot of chunks, and they set up stiffer, which holds the cheese instead of letting it sink. This one needs a cooler, so cook it the first night out.
Packing
Beef and cheese ride in the cooler. The frozen vegetable bag goes in frozen and doubles as an ice block. Pepper, onion, and celery keep loose in a bag. Potato flakes and the can travel in the dry box.
Variations
- A 10-inch oven takes about two-thirds of everything at the same heat and time.
- Lamb makes it an actual shepherd's pie. Beef makes it cottage pie, whatever the sign says.
- Stir a spoonful of tomato paste or bouillon into the meat if the filling tastes thin.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/shepherd_pie-2146.asp