Friday, October 22, 2010

FFwD: Hachis Parmentier


One picture is definitely worth a thousand words. Does this photo give you a clue about our feelings for this week's FFwD recipe, Hachis Parmentier (or Shepherd's Pie)?


We did have a choice in the preparation between boiling pieces of beef and creating our own beef broth, or choosing a less complicated version that uses ground beef. Since I have a freezer full of ground beef, I chose the more simple route. The results, however, were not simple at all.


I sauteed the ground beef and sausage together, and when they were nearly all browned, I threw in some minced garlic and thyme along with the tomato paste and some beef broth. I seasoned the meats as they were cooking. (My sausage was sweet Italian sausage from Trader Joe's, easy to remove from the casing and crumble.)

The mashed potatoes were made as I always make them, hand-mashed with cream and butter.

I used a 9" pie plate for the cooking vessel, placing the meat layer on the bottom, followed by the mashed potato layer. I used a generous grating of Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses with dots of butter to top it off.



The end result was superb.



It was a good thing that I only made half a recipe, because the two of us polished it off in record time. Had I made a full recipe, we would have done the same. Clearly, it disappeared before the camera could record any servings. It was that good.

This is definitely one recipe that will become a regular around here. For more opinions, stop by the French Fridays with Dorie website.

14 comments:

Mary said...

Great empty plate shot.

Elaine said...

I love that first photo - it truly says it all!

Dagny said...

Haha! I love it--your first picture is too cute. And it's still more photogenic than mine turned out to be!!

Jacque said...

Glad to hear it was such a hit. I think I will have to try the quick version next time... sounds like it was just as good as the more involved one.

Nice work!

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Love that first shot! That is how we felt about this too! :)

Jayne said...

Beautiful job - ours disappeared quickly, too!

Anonymous said...

It looks beautiful and I love your Corningware pie plate.

Trevor Sis Boom said...

Oh I love that first picture. I just laughed out loud. I wish I thought of that!
Trevor Sis. Boom .

Cakelaw said...

I agree - the end result was superb. That empty plat says it all.

Kayte said...

Interesting to see everyone's take on this recipe and the two versions...am making it tomorrow, and from all accounts and photos, will be a hit here with the guys who love meat and potatoes dearly. I giggled at your empty plate shot...what a great way to start a post! It all looks wonderful.

dining room tables said...

The first photo absolutely describe the whole post. That was really cute to post it.

Hindy said...

Love your empty plate! I'm glad this dish was a hit.

Allison said...

Love that first photo. Sounds like a lovely, comforting dish. Perfect as the weather gets cooler!

Lisa said...

What a beautiful golden top. Since the plate is clean, I can only imagine that this must be absolutely delicious.