French cuisine is often considered a more refined affair.
And in many cases that’s true, but like other countries, France has its share of more humble creations. Hachis Parmentier is one of them.
Outside of France, hachis Parmentier is often described as that country’s version of shepherd’s/cottage pie.
“Hachis” is derived from the French “hacher,” which means to chop, a reference to the ground, cubed or chopped meat used in the dish.
Parmentier means that potatoes are an important part of the dish. It’s a nod to Antoine‐Augustin Parmentier, the French economist credited with making potatoes popular in France in the late 18th century — which is why some classic French dishes made with them incorporate his name.
When you review the many recipes for hachis Parmentier, one thing becomes abundantly clear: no two are exactly the same.
That was not surprising to me, because this frequently homemade dish can easily be tweaked to the cook’s liking or budget. One cook, for example, might want to add more herbs, while another includes more garlic.
But most recipes, including mine, involve putting a wine-flavoured ground beef, stewed beef or other meat mixture, accented with diced vegetables and flavourings, into a casserole.
It’s then topped with silky mashed potatoes, often enriched with eggs yolks, butter, cheese and other dairy products.
The hachis Parmentier is then baked until the filling is bubbly, and the potatoes are golden on top.
Because hachis Parmentier is pretty rich tasting, I like to serve it with a side dish that will cut through that richness and provide some balance to the plate, such as a simple green salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
Hachis Parmentier
In this hearty, French-style dish, a wine-spiked, vegetable-strewn ground-beef mixture is topped with sumptuous mashed potatoes and baked until golden, piping hot and delicious.
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: about 70 minutes
Makes: four to six servings
2 lbs. russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 4 medium to large potatoes)
500 grams lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely diced onion (see Note)
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced leek (white and light green parts only) or parsnip
1 or 2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup red wine (see Eric’s options)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup grated Gruyere or other Swiss cheese (about 60 to 75 grams, see Eric’s options)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Put potatoes in a medium-sized pot and generously cover with cold water. Set over medium, medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat as needed to maintain that simmer. Simmer potatoes until very tender, about 20 minutes.
While potatoes simmer, place beef in a second medium pot and set over medium, medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through and crumbly. At that point, if there are still noticeable clumps of meat, use a potato masher to create a smooth meat mixture.
Set pot back over the heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, leeks (or parsnips), garlic and thyme and cook and stir four to five minutes. Mix in the flour, tomato paste, mustard and nutmeg and cook and stir one to two minutes more. Slowly pour in the wine. Cook until beef mixture thickens, taste and season it with salt and pepper, and then remove from the heat.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread beef mixture into the bottom of an eight-inch-square pan.
When potatoes are tender, drain well, then thoroughly mash. Beat in the milk and butter, then quickly whip in the egg yolks. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
Spoon and evenly spread the potatoes over the beef mixture. Sprinkle potatoes with the grated cheese.
Bake the hachis Parmentier in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbly on the sides. Remove hachis Parmentier from the oven and let rest a few minutes, then sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
Note: Finely diced in this recipe means to cut into 1/4-inch cubes.
Eric’s options: If you can’t have or don’t wish to use wine, replace it with beef stock. Instead of Gruyere or other Swiss cheese, try topping the hachis Parmentier with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
