Hachis parmentier, the French beef and potato bake
Classic hachis parmentier: a base of minced beef braised with onion and carrot, covered with mashed potato and gratinated until the top is golden and crisp.
Are you looking for a one-dish meal that pleases everyone, can be made ahead and comes out of the oven with an irresistible golden crust?
Then hachis parmentier is for you. I will walk you through the two layers that make up this French classic: underneath, minced beef braised with onion, carrot and red wine; on top, smooth mashed potato that turns crisp and golden in the oven.
The name comes from Antoine Parmentier, the agronomist who persuaded France to eat potatoes, and the logic of the dish is still his: make good use of what you have. It was born as a leftovers recipe, designed for the remains of a Sunday roast.
There are at least three good reasons to make it: it is a complete meal on its own, it can be assembled the night before and gratinated at the last minute, and it wins over even fussy children.
There is only one technical point: the meat must be flavourful but dry. Cover it while it is still soupy and the liquid rises into the mash, collapsing everything into one soggy layer. Let it simmer until the base looks glossy and barely moist.
Serve it hot, straight from the dish, with a simply dressed green salad to balance the richness. The next day it reheats in the oven and the crust comes right back.
Ready? Let’s get started with hachis parmentier.
Base preparations used
To make this recipe
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Oven tray or baking dish
Perfect for baking meatballs and vegetables. Choose a non-stick tray for better results and easy cleaning.
Steps
- Finely chop the onion, carrots and garlic and soften them in a wide pan with the oil over medium heat for 8 minutes, until tender and sweet.
- Raise the heat, add the minced beef and brown it without stirring too much, letting it darken properly on the base of the pan: that crust is what flavours the whole dish.
- Deglaze with the red wine and let it evaporate, then add the tomato purée, the thyme, salt and pepper.
- Pour in the broth and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the mixture is rich and barely moist, never soupy. A wet ragù would soak the mash from below.
- Make the mashed potato following the basic recipe, keeping it slightly firmer than usual so it holds as a top layer.
- Spread the meat over the base of a buttered baking dish, level it and cover with the mash, spreading it gently with a spatula.
- Draw ridges across the surface with the tines of a fork, scatter over the parmesan and small flecks of butter, and gratinate at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes, until the peaks are golden and crisp.
Helpful tips
The fork lines are not decoration: they create ridges that brown and give you the crunchy part of the dish.
The meat must be dry before you cover it, otherwise the mash gets soggy and the whole bake collapses.
It is the best way to use up leftover roast: shred it and use it instead of mince.
Assemble it the day before and gratinate at the last minute: the flavour improves overnight.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 42.0 g
- Sugars
- 6.0 g
- Protein
- 28.0 g
- Fat
- 26.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 13.0 g
- Fiber
- 5.0 g
- Sodium
- 720 mg
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