Daniel Boulud’s Hachis Parmentier
Usually in France, the dish known as hachis parmentier is a workaday affair — a layer of sautéed ground beef in a baking dish, topped with mashed potatoes, then the whole thing browned in the oven. That’s why when we read that Daniel Boulud, New York City’s superstar French chef, has a thing for it, we were dying to hear how he approaches it. Fortunately, he was happy to share his take on it with us. This recipe is adapted from his.
“Hachis parmentier is all about how you build your sauce and flavors,” says Boulud. “It is a baked dish that starts with humble ingredients and simple techniques. I love to expand my version with the deep and rich flavors of Boeuf Bourguignon under a layer of creamy mashed potatoes topped with nutty Gruyère cheese.”
READ: “Chef Daniel Boulud gives a humble French dish, hachis Parmentier, the royal treatment”
Boulud’s recipe calls for boneless rib-eye, resulting in a super-flavorful dish, suitable for a special occasion, and of course a great bottle of red. The extravagant cut makes the dish expensive to make, so we also tested it using chuck, a much less pricey cut. It was good — and we do recommend that if you’re keeping to a budget — thought it’s considerably less special.
It’s important that the braised meat be thick enough that it doesn’t run all over the plate once you serve it. It’s easy to build a braise substantial enough if you use veal stock, which has plenty of gelatin to hold it together. As veal stock is an ingredient in the arsenal of every French chef, but few home cooks, we offer the alternative of store-bought beef broth boosted with a few spoonfuls of demi-glace, a compromise authorized by Boulud. D’Artagnan makes a good one that you can buy online or find in some higher-end supermarkets. You’ll also need cheesecloth for making a bouquet garni, and a 9-inch square or 12 by 9-inch oval baking dish (or similar).
“Nothing warms your soul like the anticipation of this casserole on a cold winter’s day,” Boulud told us. Ain’t that the truth.
Serves 6.
Ingredients
For the Beef Bourguignon
2 pounds boneless ribeye, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups red Burgundy wine or not-too-fruity pinot noir
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
3 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions (1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium carrots (10 to 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 parsnips (12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 stalks celery (7 to 8 ounces), cut Into 1/2-inch dice
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups veal stock, or 1 3/4 cups beef broth plus 4 tablespoons veal demi-glace
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mashed potatoes
2 large or 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (20 ounces), peeled and halved
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 sprig thyme
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into about 6 pieces
1/4 cup whole milk (or more, as necessary)
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) finely grated Gruyère cheese
Instructions
1. Place the beef in a medium bowl, pour the wine over it, weigh the meat down with a small plate (if necessary to keep it submerged), cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 3 hours. Alternatively, you can put the meat and wine in a large zipper plastic bag, press out the air, place in a bowl in case of drips and marinate.
2. While the meat is marinating, make a bouquet garni by enclosing the garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns into a cheesecloth sachet, secured with twine. Set aside.
3. Reserving the wine and putting it in a small saucepan, drain the meat and set aside. Bring the wine to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to simmer, and continue simmering until the wine is reduced by half. (You should now have between 1 1/4 cups and 1 1/3 cups.)
4. While the wine is simmering, pat the meat dry and season with 1 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a large, wide Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot on high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil just starts to smoke, add the meat and sear the cubes on all sides, working in batches if necessary in order not to crowd the pan. Don’t worry about getting the meat very browned; just a sear is fine, with some browning. As the meat is seared, use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper-towel lined plate or sheet pan.
5. Now you’ll need about 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan; if there is excess, remove it. Place the pan over medium heat and add the onions, carrots, parsnips and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and continue cooking another 2 minutes.
6. Return the meat to the pot, sprinkle the flour over it, and cook, stirring now and then, about three minutes, at which point the flour will be absorbed. Add the reduced wine and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the veal stock or beef broth and demi-glace, drop in the bouquet garni, add 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer over high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and find a temperature that will keep the braise at a very low simmer. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally so the meat doesn’t stick to the bottom.
7. Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes. If you start them when the meat has about 45 minutes to go, you’ll get the timing about right. (Otherwise, you make them ahead and reheat them.) Heat the oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in the middle of the oven. Place the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water, add the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-high and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 or 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put the cream, garlic, thyme and butter in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover the pot and let the mixture rest at room temperature.
8. Drain the potatoes when they’re done, return them to the pot and place over low heat, shaking them a bit and heating briefly so they dry. Place the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into the same pot (wipe it first, but no need to wash), then strain the infused cream over the purée. Place over medium heat, stir in the milk, add a few grinds of white pepper, and salt to taste.
9. Once the meat is done cooking, uncover the pot, stir, and assess the thickness of the sauce. Does it look like the braised meat is thick enough to hold up on the plate? If not, let it continue simmering with the cover off until the sauce reduces and thickens enough so that if you drag a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pot, you can see the bottom for a moment before it’s covered in sauce again. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then transfer the braised meat to a 9-inch square or 12 by 9-inch oval baking dish (or similar). Reheat the mashed potatoes over low heat, if necessary, stirring frequently; if it has thickened too much to be easily spreadable, stir in a little additional milk. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top of the braised meat and spread the potatoes to cover it. Use a fork to lightly fluff the top of the potatoes, making a peaks here and there. Sprinkle the Gruyère evenly over the top and bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and nicely crusted.
Daniel Boulud's Hachis Parmentier
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless ribeye, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 1/2 cups red Burgundy wine or not-too-fruity pinot noir
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions (1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 medium carrots (10 to 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 parsnips (12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 stalks celery (7 to 8 ounces), cut Into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups veal stock, or 1 3/4 cups beef broth plus 4 tablespoons veal demi-glace
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large or 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (20 ounces), peeled and halved
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 sprig thyme
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into about 6 pieces
- 1/4 cup whole milk (or more, as necessary)
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) finely grated Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Place the beef in a medium bowl, pour the wine over it, weigh the meat down with a small plate (if necessary to keep it submerged), cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 3 hours. Alternatively, you can put the meat and wine in a large zipper plastic bag, press out the air, place in a bowl in case of drips and marinate.
- While the meat is marinating, make a bouquet garni by enclosing the garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns into a cheesecloth sachet, secured with twine. Set aside.
- Reserving the wine and putting it in a small saucepan, drain the meat and set aside. Bring the wine to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to simmer, and continue simmering until the wine is reduced by half. (You should now have between 1 1/4 and 1 1/3 cups.)
- While the wine is simmering, pat the meat dry and season with 1 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a large, wide Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot on high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil just starts to smoke, add the meat and sear the cubes on all sides, working in batches if necessary in order not to crowd the pan. Don’t worry about getting the meat very browned; just a sear is fine, with some browning. As the meat is seared, use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper-towel lined plate or sheet pan.
- Now you’ll need about 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan; if there is excess, remove it. Place the pan over medium heat and add the onions, carrots, parsnips and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and continue cooking another 2 minutes.
- Return the meat to the pot, sprinkle the flour over it, and cook, stirring now and then, about three minutes, at which point the flour will be absorbed. Add the reduced wine and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the veal stock or beef broth and demi-glace, drop in the bouquet garni, add 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer over high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and find a temperature that will keep the braise at a very low simmer. Cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally so the meat doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes. If you start them when the meat has about 45 minutes to go, you’ll get the timing about right. (Otherwise, you make them ahead and reheat them.) Heat the oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in the middle of the oven. Place the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water, add the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-high and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 or 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put the cream, garlic, thyme and butter in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover the pot and let the mixture rest at room temperature.
- Drain the potatoes when they’re done, return them to the pot and place over low heat, shaking them a bit and heating briefly so they dry. Place the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into the same pot (wipe it first, but no need to wash), then strain the infused cream over the purée. Place over medium heat, stir in the milk, add a few grinds of white pepper, and salt to taste.
- Once the meat is done cooking, uncover the pot, stir, and assess the thickness of the sauce. Does it look like the braised meat is thick enough to hold up on the plate? If not, let it continue simmering with the cover off until the sauce reduces and thickens enough so that if you drag a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pot, you can see the bottom for a moment before it’s covered in sauce again. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then transfer the braised meat to a 9-inch square or 12 by 9-inch oval baking dish (or similar). Reheat the mashed potatoes over low heat, if necessary, stirring frequently; if it has thickened too much to be easily spreadable, stir in a little additional milk. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top of the braised meat and spread the potatoes to cover it. Use a fork to lightly fluff the top of the potatoes, making a peaks here and there. Sprinkle the Gruyère evenly over the top and bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and nicely crusted.
