Hachis Parmentier (French cottage pie)
Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, the famous pharmacist and agronomist who promoted potatoes in France in the mid 1700s, has quite rightly got many dishes named after him. Hachis Parmentier is one of them – ‘hachis’ means ‘to chop’ in reference to the meat, and is topped with mashed potato and baked in the oven akin to a British cottage pie. We opted for shredded braised beef shin for maximum flavour and texture, and beautifully piped mashed Nanna Tate potatoes enriched with butter, egg yolk, Gruyère and nutmeg.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
BRAISED BEEF
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1kg beef shin
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tbsp of tomato purée
- 150ml of red wine
- 300ml of beef stock
- 1 bouquet garni, a mixture of thyme bay and parsley tied together with kitchen string
POTATO TOPPING
- 1kg Nanna Tate potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
- 100g of unsalted butter
- 50ml of whole milk, plus more as needed
- 50g of Gruyère, finely grated
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C
Heat the vegetable oil in an ovenproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in batches until golden. Remove and set aside
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1kg beef shin
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes until softened and lightly golden, adding a splash of water if needed to help scrape the caramelised crust from the bottom of the pan
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
Stir in the garlic and tomato purée, cook for 2 minutes, then pour in the red wine and bring to a simmer. Reduce the wine by half
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tbsp of tomato purée
- 150ml of red wine
Pour in the beef stock and return the beef to the pan, along with the bouquet garni. The liquid should come two-thirds of the way up the meat so top it up with water if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and transfer to the oven and braise for 3 hours until the meat is fork-tender, turning the beef every hour. Remove and increase the oven temperature to 200°C
- 300ml of beef stock
- 1 bouquet garni, a mixture of thyme bay and parsley tied together with kitchen string
Meanwhile, for the potato topping, place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until completely tender, then drain
- 1kg Nanna Tate potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
Melt the butter with the milk in a small saucepan
- 100g of unsalted butter
- 50ml of whole milk, plus more as needed
Working in batches, rice the potatoes through a potato ricer (or push them through a sieve), into a large bowl
Gradually beat the butter and milk mixture into the potatoes until smooth and creamy, adding a little more milk if needed to achieve a pipable consistency. Stir through the cheese, egg yolk and nutmeg until well distributed, then taste and season with salt
- 50g of Gruyère, finely grated
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Transfer the mash into a piping bag and set aside until needed
Shred the beef whilst still warm, discarding the sinew and any large pieces of fat. Remove and discard the bouquet garni
Meanwhile, simmer the sauce for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat, or until thickened, stirring through the meat once it is shredded. Season to taste
Pipe the mashed potato over the beef filling and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden on top and the sauce is bubbling. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving
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