Who would have thought that potatoes were not considered to be a food during the 17th century? Yes, the French have deemed these crops only as a hog feed. But thanks to Sir Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, his studies and stunts have proved that potato is indeed edible.

Sir Pamentier featured potatoes by hosting dinners and serving all sorts of potato dishes. To make it more enticing, he had his potato patch watched by armed guards to indicate how valuable they were. He then instructed his men to accept bribes from the crowd and withdraw in the evening so that those greedy people would try to ‘steal’ the potatoes. Not only that, his studies on potatoes have saved a lot of people from famine.

That is why, hachis parmentier, my dish for today is named after him.

So let’s check on the recipe…

Ingredients:
-  2 onions
-  2 garlic gloves
-  1 TBSP butter
-  2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
-  1 lbs lean ground beef
-  1 TBSP flour
-  salt & pepper
-  herbes de provence
-  1 egg yolk
-  Parmesan
-  3 lbs potatoes (Russet works well)
-  1/2 cup heavy cream (adjust to get the right consistency)
-  2 TBSP butter
-  1/4 cup milk (Non-fat is ok)
-  salt and pepper to taste
-  grated cheese (gruyère)

Alternative Ingredients:
-  Use nutmeg on top
-  Use shallots instead of onions
-  Use white wine and sugar
-  Use comté, or parmesan instead of the gruyère

Here’s how to cook the recipe:
1.  First, sauté the onions and the garlic in melted butter till the onions are tender.
2.  Then, add the tomatoes, ground beef, floor, salt, pepper and herbs. Cook them for 5-8 minutes till the meat is well done.
3.  Add the egg yolk and parmesan. Mix well.
4.  Spread the meat mixture in a flat bottom pan. I recommend using a 10×10 Pyrex pan.
5.  Prepare the mashed potatoes. Here’s how:
     •   Boil potatoes for 30-40 minutes.
     •   Peel the potatoes and mash them.
6.  Mix in the cream, butter and milk till you get the consistency you like.
7.  Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the meat.
8.  Spread the grated cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes at 350.
9.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and a touch of ground nutmeg.
10. Cook for 5 minutes in the broiler.

Bon appétit!

© Pascal Belloncle for Home Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | No comment

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Ingredients for Mustard Lime Steaks

- 2 rib-eyes steadk, 1.5 lbs all together, about 1 inch thick (you don’t want too thick for this recipe so you don’t overcook the mustard)
- 4 TBSP dry mustard (or ground mustard)
- 4 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 4 TBSP lime juice (about one juicy lime)
- Kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper

Cooking steps

- spread one TBSP of the dry mustard on each side of each rib-eye steak (use your fingers, or a fork)
- pour 1 TBSP of the Worcestershire sauce on each side of each steak (it won’t go in at first, so rub it in)
- do the same for 1 TBSP of the lime juice on each side of each steak (it will eventually form a slurry)
- let it marinate on the counter for about 20-30 minutes
- preheat your grill to high
- clean and oil your grate, then place the 2 steaks
- cook for 5 minutes on the first side for rare, rotating once if you want nice criss-crossed marks
- turn over and cool for an other 3-4 minutes
- let the steaks rest for 3-5 minutes and serve
- Enjoy!

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This recipe would be traditionally served with Harissa, but if you can’t find any, you can make this simple relish with tomatoes, shallots and hot Paprika.

Ingredients for the Beef Kebabs

- 1 1/2 lbs of some lean beef, about 1 inch think, cut into 1 inch cubes (I like to use London Broil, or eye of round, but many variations will do)
- 1 medium onion, grated
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (or 1 TBPS dry parsley)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1.5 tsp paprika
- 2 fresh laurel leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- more salt and cumin for serving

Ingredients for the relish

- 2 ripe tomatoes, grated
- 2-3 shallots, grated as well
- 3 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped finely
- 1 TBSP hot paprika
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP lemon juice (the juice of a fairly juicy half lemon)
- salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation for the beef

- cut the beef into 1 inch cube, removing any unsightly pieces of fat.
- mix the oninon, parsley, cumin, paprika, laurel leaves, salt, pepper and olive oil into a non reactive bowl
- add the meat and mix thoroughly
- refrigerate overnight (yes, you can do it for only a few hours, but overnight will bring out more flavor!)

Preparation for the relish

- cut the tomatoes, seed them and grate them into a small bowl (using the coarser grate will work just fine)
- peel the shallots and grate them as well and mix with the tomatoes
- mix in the chopped parsley, add the hot paprika, cayenne pepper, olive oil, salt,pepper and lemon juice

This can be prepared ahead of time, even the day before if you refrigerate right away, but serve at room temperature.

Final steps

- place the meat on the skewer (flat metal one preferably, you’ll thank me later)
- preheat your grill to high for direct grilling (about 10 minutes)
- when the grill is hot, clean it with a metal brush, oil it with olive oil on a paper towel
- place the skewers on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes per side, for a total of about 10-12 minutes
- Serve right away with the sauce and I hope you enjoy!

Inspired from the Barbecue! Bible by Steven Raichlen, except I like to cut the meat into bigger chunks, and ad in some laurel leaves.

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There are many types of skewers, metal or bamboo, but for meat, my favorite choice is to use the flat metal ones. The flat section helps ensure that the items on the skewer will not turn more than you turn the skewer! That tends to be frustrating and awkward!

Ingredients for the Shish Kebabs

- 1 1/2 lbs of meat, about 1″ to 1 1/2″ thick that you can cut into cubes. Sirloin, london broil, chateaubriand are good candidate, but eye of round will also work great.
- 8oz white or brown mushrooms
- 8oz large cherry tomatoes
- 8oz small sweet onions, peeled
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper

Steps for preparing and cooking the Shish Kebabs

- preheat your grill to high
- cut the meat into cubes of roughly 1″ to 1 1/2″ cubes
- wash the mushrooms, the small onions and the cherry tomatoes
- assemble the shish kebabs by alternating mushrooms, meat, small onions and tomatoes
- mix the herbs, salt and pepper into the olive oil
- rub the oil mixture onto the meat and veggies
- clean your grill, and rub it with vegetable oil using a paper towel (I use olive oil)
- place the kebabs onto the grill and cook on all sides, about 10-12 minutes all together
- serve immediately

Variations

There are endless variations to this recipe. Use sweet red peppers, green peppers, asparagus, etc…

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Ingredients for the Rub

- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (coarse)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (coarse)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons salt (kosher)

Steps for the Rub

- Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl.

Ingredients for the Basting Sauce

- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 chopped garlic cloves

Steps for the Rub

- Whisk together vinegar and oil in a small bowl.

Cooking instructions

- Rub each sides of the tri-tip with the seasoning.
- Leave the meat out for 30 minutes (if you don’t feel comfortable leaving the meat out, you can put it back in the fridge, but keep in mind you may need to cook it a bit longer)
- Preheat the grill to high for 10 minutes
- Cook for 10 minutes, turning once. Baste after you turn using the Basting Sauce
- Then reduce heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes more, turning and basting each time, at least till the internal temperature reaches 120+ F
- Cover with foil for 10 minutes.
- Slice and enjoy!

Turning often is the key to a perfect TriTip: you need to turn often so that the heat does not suck up all the juice out the top.

Preparation: 10 minutes
Marinate: 30-60 minutes
Cooking: 20-30 minutes depending on size (about 20 minutes for 1.5lbs)

© Pascal Belloncle for Home Recipes, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments

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