Hachis Parmentier Recipe

French Hachis Parmentier (cottage pie) served with sauteed green vegetables.

Hachis Parmentier Recipe

Hachis Parmentier is a French variant of the ever-popular cottage or shepherd's pie. My version uses minced beef and is flavoured by fennel and herbs de Provence, and is topped with buttery mashed potatoes and golden breadcrumbs.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Anglo French

Keyword beef parmentier, French cottage pie, French Shepherds pie, hachis parmentier

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 25

Total Time 1 35

Servings Servings

Calories 1302kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

For the Mashed Potato Topping:

750 g Floury Potatoes 1lb 10oz
1 teaspoon Salt
Water Just enough to cover the potatoes.
75 g Butter ¼ Cup + 1 tablespoon
1 Pinch White Pepper Be Generous
20-25 g Fine Breadcrumbs 2-3 Tbsp

For the Meat Filling:

375 g Minced Beef 13oz
1 Medium Onion 150g
1 Medium Carrot 100g
2 Sticks Celery 75g
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Medium Tomato 150g
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
½ teaspoon Black Peppercorns
1-1½ teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
125 ml Dry White Wine ½ Cup

Instructions

Cut the onion into 2-3mm (⅛") dice.
Cut the carrot and celery into a dice similar to the onion.
Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan over a medium-low heat and gently sweat down the onion, celery and carrot mix for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Be sure not to add any colour; if the onions begin to colour, reduce the heat a little.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into a 4-5cm (1½-2") chunks and place them in a 20cm or 8" saucepan.
Add a teaspoon of salt to the potatoes and pour in enough water to cover them by about 1cm (½"), this will be around 1 litre. Place the pan over a high heat, bring the potatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium so that they are just simmering. This will take around 35 minutes in total.
Roughly chop the tomato.
Grind the black pepper and fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar or in a spice grinder.
Peel and finely dice the garlic for the meat filling and add it to the onion mix when it has had its cooking time. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Turn the heat up to high, add the minced beef and cook until it is well browned.
Add the diced tomatoes, Herbes de Provence, salt and ground pepper and fennel mix, stir and cook until the juices from the tomatoes have evaporated.
Pour in the white wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to free up the "fond", reduce the heat to low, add a lid and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes.
By now, the potatoes should be cooked. Drain them and allow them to drip dry for 5 minutes, then pass them through a potato ricer or mash them.
Add the butter and white pepper, mix to create a smooth buttery mash, adding more salt if required, then set aside.
Transfer the meat mix to a 20cm x 15cm (8X6") baking dish, then add the mashed potato topping, smoothing it over as you go. This is easier when it is cool or at room temperature.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the potato and transfer to the oven, cooking at 200°C or 390°F for 25-30 minutes.
Finally, slide the pie under the grill (broiler) to colour the breadcrumbs, and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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