Beef and Oyster Casserole

Oysters give the beef a salty, subtle flavor. The buttery top crust makes this dish old-fashioned comfort food.

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

11⁄2 pounds 93% lean ground beef

11⁄4 cups all-purpose fl our, plus additional for dusting

1 cup beef broth

12 oysters, shucked, with their juices, or one 8-ounce container shucked oysters

2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons minced sage leaves or

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

1 to 2 tablespoons ice water

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Melt 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms; continue cooking until they give off their liquid and it almost all evaporates, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Crumble in the ground beef. Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle 1⁄4 cup fl our over the mixture in the pan and cook, stirring all the while, for 1 minute.
• Stirring constantly, slowly pour in the broth; continue cooking and stirring until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the oysters, thyme, sage, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Pour into a 10-inch, 2-quart, round, highsided casserole and set aside.
• Place the remaining 1 cup fl our in a medium bowl; stir in the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Cut in the shortening and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon ice water; stir with a fork just until a dough begins to form, adding more ice water as necessary.
• Sprinkle the work surface with a little water, then lay a large piece of wax paper over it. Lightly fl our the wax paper, then turn the dough out onto it. Knead once or twice to get the dough to adhere, then dust it with fl our and pat it into a fl attened ball. Roll into a circle that is 1 inch wider than the diameter of the casserole.
• Pick up the wax paper (and the dough circle on it) and fl ip it over on top of the casserole. Peel off the wax paper, leaving the dough on top of the casserole. Seal it to the edges.
• Bake until the topping is lightly browned and the fi lling is bubbling underneath, about 40 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings