Sassy Mama French family favourites: Hachis parmentier aux légumes

Introducing dad-of-two, Laurent Brouard! Our brand new Sassy Mama recipe contributor is General Manager of Catering at French gastro-group Chez Patrick, so we figure he knows his onions (and his herbs, and his veggies…)! He’ll be sharing his French family favourites with Sassy Mama each month in this series of easy-to-make and delicious recipes. Get slicing and dicing, mama!

Hachis parmentier aux légumes

Loved by Laurent since he was a boy, and now a favourite of his own children, this dish was created in France as a way of using up leftovers. Mothers would mince all leftover meat and vegetables in their fridge, add mashed potato, and serve in this yummy baked meal.

Serves 4
1 onion
1 celery stick
2 carrots
4 large tomatoes, diced
1 clove of garlic
Chopped fresh parsley
5 large potatoes
200g of minced meat. You can use chicken, pork or lamb, but beef is best suited to this dish.

Method

• Dice all vegetables into small pieces – this ensures the vegetables maintain crunchy and encourages children to get used to seeing vegetables in their food.
• For younger children, use minced meat, but for older children I like to use a very finely cut strip loin, rib eye or beef fillet.  This encourages children to chew their food properly!
• Peel potatoes and cut into quarters.
• Cover potatoes in water, salted with a pinch of rock salt.
• Boil for roughly 20 minutes – or until tender.
• Mash your potatoes by mixing briskly with a wooden spoon – add 50 grams of cold butter and a splash of milk until you reach the perfect consistency – never use cream. For smaller children you can use a blender to thoroughly mash the potatoes.
• In a heated pan, fry the onion and garlic with a knob of butter for roughly 5 minutes on a low heat without colouring. Then add the diced carrot and celery and cook for roughly 4-6 minutes on a low heat. Add a splash of water and leave to cook for another 2 minutes.
• Now add your chosen meat and cook. If you are using mincemeat, cook until browned or if you are using steak, cook for around 3-4 minutes, then add diced tomatoes and another splash of water.
• Finally, add chopped parsley then mix well.
• Take an ovenproof dish, layer it with meat and vegetables, then cover with mashed potatoes.
• Place dish in the oven and bake until it colours on the top.

Et voila! Eat and enjoy! Remember that all leftovers can be reheated the next day, making this a useful batch-cooking option.

Laurent Brouard is the Head Chef of Chez Patrick Catering. He has over 17 years experience working with world-renowned chefs, such as Joel Robuchon and Bernard Loiseau. Laurent also has extensive experience organising large scale events for private and corporate customers. Having worked in Japan for 7 years, Laurent adores Japanese cuisine and is heavily influenced by these flavours and tastes.