Hachis Parmentier (French Shepherd’s Pie)

A few weeks ago, Rene and I met up in Greenwich Village on Friday night with no particular plans in mind. Strolling through what happens to be my favorite neighborhood in the city, we passed Buvette. I’d tried going in there several times before but the wait for a table was ridiculously long and ain’t nobody got time for that. This time, there was no line, rather an empty table for two - front and center. It was before 6pm and we had successfully beat the dinnertime rush.

Exalted to have finally made it to this damn place (Rene was exalted by association), we ordered cocktails to rouse our appetites. Our waiter informed us, in the most gorgeous French accent, that cauliflower gratin and hachis parmentier (AKA shepherd’s pie - not even gonna try to spell that out phonetically for ya’ll) were the specials that evening. Both items sounded so good that we ordered them on the spot without even considering the menu. The gratin was superbly creamy and luxurious, but it was the pie that really stole my heart. The layer of beef at the bottom was so thoroughly braised that it turned into more of a concentrated sauce than sauteed beef; the mashed potatoes on top were the fluffiest, butteriest, most cloud-like potatoes I’ve ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth. Where the hell have they been all my life?

“We’ve got to make this at home,” I said to Rene. He nodded in disbelief, as I say that about most foods we try at restaurants. But last weekend, I made good on my promise. The Buvette cookbook actually contains a recipe for this dish. I read it for reference but did not follow it per se, since I wanted to cook with what I had on hand and not have to buy five extra ingredients. And there’s no need to confuse your loved ones with strange French terminology. I don’t believe there’s a major difference between hachis parmentier and the standard shepherd’s pie, other than the former is more likely to have red wine (yes, please) in the recipe.

Some cooking notes: With the beef, it is really important to be patient with browning the beef in batches, lest it steams and turns out dry instead of caramelizing properly. Be sure to use a good quality red wine, something you would actually drink (never use ‘cooking wine’); the flavor will concentrate as it cooks and if the wine is bad, you risk ruining the whole dish. For the potatoes, there are several steps to help achieve a cloud-like texture. The first is to use white potatoes instead of russet - they’re smoother and slightly less starchy, and thus result in a creamier consistency. The second is to puree them in a food processor instead of with a masher; this will give the potatoes more airiness and eliminate any lumps. Lastly, do not skimp on the cream or butter. This is a French dish after all - it’s okay to live a little.

(Yield: 4 servings)
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef (organic and grass-fed, if possible)
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 c dry red wine
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 c vegetable stock
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large (about 1 lb) white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
• 1/3 c heavy cream
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter

Procedure: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and add half of the beef. Break it up with a wooden spatula and cook, stirring frequently, until it is browned - about 4 min. Season with pinches of salt and pepper, stir, and transfer to a bowl. Add more olive oil to the skillet and cook the second batch of beef. Once the second batch is browned, add the first batch back into the skillet, along with the onion and garlic. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook until onion softens - about 4 min. Add wine and simmer for a few minutes to evaporate most of the alcohol. In a small cup/dish, dissolve tomato paste with a bit of vegetable stock and add to skillet, along with remaining stock and thyme. Season again with salt and pepper and stir. Turn heat down to low and cover with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 min. Be sure to taste and re-season the sauce if necessary.

In the meantime, prepare the potatoes. Rinse them under cold running water and place into a large pot. Cover with water by about 2″ and add a generous pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, crack the lid, turn heat down to low and simmer until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, about 12 min. (While potatoes are cooking, prepare the cream: pour cream into a small saucepan and add butter. Heat over a low flame until butter is melted - do not boil.) Drain potatoes and transfer to a food processor. Pour cream mixture over the potatoes and season with a small pinch of salt. Puree until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place beef in a single layer in into a 8×8″ baking dish and top with potatoes. Bake for about 15 min, until potatoes are set.