From the Radisson Martinique to Your Table: Hache Parmentier (Cottage Pie)

From the Radisson Martinique to your table. Our chef at Petit Poulet shares his recipe for Hache Parmentier (Cottage Pie). The dish is named after Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a French pharmacist, nutritionist, and inventor who, in the late 18th century, was instrumental in the promotion of the potato as an edible crop. The word "hachis" means a dish in which the ingredients are chopped or minced. In general use, a simpler version is the French equivalent of cottage or shepherd's pie.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped leftover pot roast or beef stew
1/2 cup beef gravy
2 cups chopped cooked vegetables, like carrots, leeks, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups mashed potatoes, heated
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup Gruyere Cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces


Directions:

Preheat the oven with 350 degrees F.

Combine the meat, gravy, and vegetables in a large saute pan and cook over medium heat just until everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the heated mixture into a large glass pie plate or a round glass baking dish. Add the horseradish to the heated potatoes. Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture, smoothing with a spatula and spreading to the edges of the pie dish.

Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs and the Gruyere Cheese. Dot the top with butter. Bake for 45 minutes on the top shelf of the oven. Raise the oven temperature to broil and broil just until the crumbs are browned, about 1 minute. Serve.