Hachis Parmentier

Hachis Parmentier

Like I said, I don't usually waste if I can help it. In fact, I suspect that I may be getting myself a karang-guni reputation.

So the leftover cooked meat and potatoes from the Pot au Feu and the leftover raw meat filling from the Empanadas were given new life yesterday when I used them to make an Hachis Parmentier for lunch.

OK, it looked quite horrible in the picture, but the hachis is a poor man's dish and my photography skills suck, plus I wasn't in the mood to work on the picture as I had to cook dinner beforehand (we were having guests in the evening) and we had Eldest Son's Birthday party in between. The important thing is that it tasted better than it looked and that you only have my word for it.

The good thing about using both cooked and raw meat (beef in this case) is that it is kinder on the taste and the texture. To prepare the meat filling for the Hachis, first sweat some onions, garlic, bacon and red bell peppers in some butter in a wok. When they are fragrant, add in the meat (the cooked beef has to be minced or shredded beforehand of course) and if you wish, some parsley, stir fry for a minute or 2. I also added in the leftover hard boiled eggs. Then add in a little of the leftover meat broth, stir well, cover and let it simmer for a minute. Turn off the heat.

Next, heat up the cold cooked potatoes and some milk in the microwave before mashing or mixing them.

In an oven-proof dish, prepare the Hachis as you would a lasagna, meaning spread out a layer of the mashed potatoes, sprinkle some grated cheese (e.g. French Emmenthal) on it, spread a layer of the meat filling on it and repeat with more mashed potatoes etc until you fill up the dish or finish your ingredients whichever is earlier. Me I didn't have enough leftover potatoes so I just did a layer of meat and a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese, salt and pepper, pieces of butter on top of the Hachis and then bake it in a preheated oven (200ºC) for 20 minutes. The top should be nicely gratinated. I like my Hachis wet, so I was generous with my stock and which is why you see liquid in the dish.

It's a really yummy and simple dish. Used to buy cheap frozen ones from the discount store ED in my student years which were edible but not as good as a home-made one, of course. And forget not that you can also make the same dish using fresh new ingredients. It doesn't have to be made of leftovers!