There’s a certain romance associated with skillet cooking in American cuisine. It conjures campfires or rustic wood-fired ovens, where the cooking vessel must be sturdy enough to withstand the heat. Cast-iron pans fit that bill and more. I routinely use three cast-iron skillets of different sizes to accommodate different types of dishes: a small one for cooking up sausage samples for tasting or for frying up a couple of burgers; a medium size for cooking plate-size pancakes or a fat, juicy steak for two; and a large one for searing meats or fish fillets before finishing them in the oven or for making this skillet tamale pie. Cast-iron skillets offer two more advantages: they are widely available anywhere that carries kitchen equipment, from hardware stores to gourmet cookware shops, and they are modestly priced. The drawback to cast iron is that it is not serviceable for dishes that include tomatoes, wine, spinach, eggplant, or the like, because it turns the ingredient unpleasantly bitter. Romance aside, cooking the tamale pie in a cast-iron skillet offers one more advantage. It saves on pots and dishes: brown the sausage in the skillet on the stove top, spread the corn bread topping over the sausage, pop the skillet in the oven to bake, and then serve directly from the skillet. The quick, few-ingredient sausage is also good for tacos, topping pizza, Mexican-style spaghetti and meatballs, or in place of chorizo for egg preparations. The corn bread batter can be cooked into a tender, light bread without the sausage; use an 8-inch skillet in this case.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 9-inch pie, serves 4 to 6

　　

Sausage

1 pound ground beef

　　1/4 cup finely chopped yellow or white onion

　　2 tablespoons finely chopped red or green bell pepper

　　2 teaspoons tomato paste

　　2 teaspoons pure chile powder, preferably ancho or New Mexico

　　1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　

Crust

1cup yellow cornmeal

　　1/2 cup all-purpose flour

　　2 teaspoons baking powder

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1 cup milk

　　1 large egg

　　2 tablespoons butter, melted

　　1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño chile

　　1/2 cup shredded orange Cheddar cheese

　　Peanut or canola oil, for sautéing the sausage

　　

Step 1

To make the sausage, place all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Set aside while you make the crust, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

　　

Step 2

To make the crust, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to mix. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Add to the cornmeal mixture along with the melted butter, chile, and cheese and whisk to mix.

　　

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

　　

Step 4

To assemble the pie, add just enough oil to a heavy 9-inch ovenproof skillet, preferably cast iron, to film the bottom and place over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sauté, stirring to break up the clumps, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Spread the crust batter evenly across the top.

　　

Step 5

Bake until golden around the edges and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand to cool and firm slightly before serving.

　　Sausage