Hachis Parmentier
Can we get a moment for the crust?
This was my very first time making Hachis Parmentier, and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out!
As someone who grew up around French food, I know most people think dishes tend to be quite rich and heavy. But at home we like it a bit more on the lighter side, so I had to put my own spin on this one.
Traditionally, the mash is made entirely with potatoes, but I replaced some of them with cauliflower. It helped to lighten up the topping beautifully without changing the flavour at all. I also steamed both the potatoes and cauliflower instead of boiling them as they tend to stay fluffier and less watery that way (plus, you can even steam them in the microwave if you’re short on time!).
I also snuck in more vegetables than what’s usually used by adding mushrooms, carrots, and onions. If you have celery on hand, that works well too.
☝️ Another Nutritionist tweak: you can also swap half of the beef for lentils (or even all, for a vegetarian version). This way you get more fibre and plant-based protein in while still keeping the dish hearty and satisfying.
I hope you enjoy my take on this French classic. Full recipe below!
THE RECIPE
SERVES 4
Ingredients
Filling:
800g ground beef*
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
6 baby portobello mushrooms, diced
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp flour
150ml beef stock (veg stock is fine too)
⅔ cup dry red wine (optional; I’ve made it without this and it was fine)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Mash:
600g potatoes, peeled and cut into large equal-sized chunks (Yukon Gold/Maris Piper/Russet work well)
400g cauliflower, cut up into equal-sized florets
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
20+80g cold butter, diced
A splash of milk (room temp/warm)
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
50g gruyère, compté, or emmenthal cheese
Directions
To make the filling:
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot or deep dish pan. Brown the beef over medium-high heat until well browned on the edges. It doesn’t need to be cooked through, and you can do this in batches if the base of your pan is too small – this prevents it from steaming. Remove and set aside.
Sauté the onion and carrot till softened and fragrant.
Add the garlic and mushroom, and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomato paste is cooked out (this deepens the flavour!).
Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper.
Pour in the beef stock and wine (if using), scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add in the beef, mustard, and thyme, and leave to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste.
While that cooks, prepare the mash.
To make the mash:
Cauliflower:
Steam the cauliflower until fork tender; ~10-15 minutes, depending on their size. Set aside to cool slightly before blending.
In a blender, add the cauliflower, 20g butter, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Potatoes:
To boil the potatoes, place the potatoes, thyme, and garlic into a large pot of room temperature water that is well-salted. Boil util fork-tender; ~20 minutes, depending on their size.
Drain the potatoes into a colander and sit it on top of the hot pot to evaporate any water.
If you have a ricer or masher, go ahead to work on your potatoes. I don’t have either, so I pushed mine through a fine sieve.
Once you've riced or mashed the potatoes, transfer them to a large bowl with the cauliflower purée, 80g butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg (if using). Fold everything together, adding warm milk a little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Be careful not to over mix it lest your mash turns gloopy.
To assemble:
First, preheat your oven to 160°C fan (or 180°C conventional).
Spoon the filling into a baking dish and level it into an even layer before topping with the mash. You can choose to pipe the mash or simply spread it across.
Using a fork, drag it across the surface to create ridges.
Liberally grate over the cheese and bake at 160ºC for 20 minutes, or until golden yellow. If you’re starting from cold, you might need to bake it for 30 minutes.
If you’re not getting much colour with your oven, you can finish off under the grill for 2-3 minutes – remember to keep a close eye on it!
Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. This helps the filling set slightly and makes it easier to serve. And bon appétit :)
Notes
*For the ground beef, I used 600g of lean beef and 200g of 80/20 beef. You don’t have to go with this mix, just specifying because I know some people might ask!
You can also use Puy lentils in place of some of the meat, or all of it if you want a vegetarian version!
Nutrition
Coming soon!