When we travel to visit our daughter in Paris, we like to visit markets to see what foods are new and different from here. One item we see in the freezer section is Hachis Parmentier.
It’s named after a man named Antione-Augustin Parmentier who studied and promoted nutrition and health in the 1700’s. He is remembered in France for many things, which include his part in the Paris Faculty of Medicine declaring the potato as edible in 1772. Prior to that it was considered to be hog feed to the French. He did unusual things to promote the potato as nutritious, which included posting guards at potato patches and instructing them to take bribes to make people think the potato valuable. In 1785, his efforts to get people to eat potatoes helped to save Northern France from famine. All of this interests us because Parmentier is a family name on Jim’s side.
We have not been able to try Hachis Parmentier in France as it is made with several kinds of meat. For Christmas I received a newly translated (to English) French cookbook that contained the recipe. I’ve converted it to be vegetarian, and now we know what it tastes like. It’s really good!
Filling
½ c.Betty Crocker Bac-Os® Bacon Flavor Chips (or similar product)
2 T. butter
1 T. dehydrated minced onion
1 2/3 c. fresh bread crumbs
Generous 1/3 c. hot milk
2 c. Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers® Recipe Crumbles™ (or similar product)
1 T. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 egg
Salt
Mashed Potatoes
2 ¼ lb. (about 13 small) gold, red or yellow potatoes
¼ c. butter
2 c. (generous) hot milk
Salt
Topping
¼ c. fresh bread crumbs
½ c. Gruyère cheese, grated
2 T. butter
Cover Bac-Os® with hot water and leave for 5 minutes to soften. Drain. Melt 2 T. butter and add minced onion to soften. Cover bread crumbs with hot milk to soften.
In a large bowl, mix together the Bac-Os®, onion, bread crumbs, Crumbles, parsley and olive oil. Mix in the egg, and season with salt.
Scrub and place the potatoes in a pan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and pass through a potato ricer while the potatoes are still hot. Mix in 4 T. butter and hot milk with a wooden spoon. Season with salt. Do not cook or beat the puree.
Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread half of the mashed potatoes over the bottom. Cover with the filling, then the remaining potatoes.
Sprinkle bread crumbs over, then cheese. Dot butter over the top. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 – 45 minutes, or until golden. Serves 12.
NOTE Historical information is taken from Wikipedia.com.
