Hachis Parmentier

Charisse — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:00:11 +0000

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!

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Sauteed Potatoes

Pascal — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 09:01:40 +0000

Sauteed Potatoes are the simplest but most satisfying of all recipes. Easier than french fries, and probably a lot less greasy too. And kids will love them too!

Ingredients for the Sauteed Potatoes

- 5 to 7 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes (but any kind of potato that holds well together after boiling will work, I just like the taste and texture of Yukon Gold). That’s about 1.5 to 2 lbs.
- olive oil
- salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper to taste

Steps

- clean the potatoes
- place the potatoes with the skin on in a 2 quarts pan (or bigger) with enough cold water so that all the potatoes are under water, and bring to a boil
- boil for 20-30 minutes (this part really depends on the potatoes and their size, so using potatoes roughly the same size helps) till a pointy knife can go through a potato without much resistance, but before the skin starts to crack and peel off.
- place a generous amount of olive oil in a large frying pan and heat on medium high. You want the potatoes to absorb some of that oil, but not too much!
- cool down the potatoes under cold running water
- if still too hot to peel, let them rest for a little while, then peel
- cut the potatoes in roughly 1 inch cubes (no need to be too exact here)
- once the oil is hot (but not smoking!), start placing the potatoes in one single layer (don’t use more potatoes that can fit in that single layer, so use a second pan if needed)
- every 3-4 minutes turn the potatoes so each side gets a chance to brown and get a nice golden color
- the whole process should take about 10-15 minutes.
- if you are not quite ready to heat, you can turn the heat to low and keep them warm for a little while

This recipe goes great with a grilled meat, sausages, or dried meats like prosciutto.