Hachis Parmentier Or French Style Shepherd's Pie

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 750 g large new potatoes, washed and peeled
• 6 pieces streaky bacon, sliced into skinny strips
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 trimmed leeks, sliced into rounds
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 50 g butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
• 500 g minced chicken or 500 g beef (your choice)
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 100 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 50 g grated gruyere cheese, grated
• salt and pepper, to taste

Recipe

• 1 boil potatoes in salted water until just tender, drain and use a potato masher to crush the potatoes.
• 2 meanwhile, heat the oil and 10g of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
• 3 when the butter has melted, add the bacon, stirring to separate the pieces.
• 4 now add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme.
• 5 cook for about five minutes.
• 6 add the leek and celery as well as salt and pepper to taste.
• 7 reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender.
• 8 stir the chicken or beef into the vegetables.
• 9 add half the parsley and 50g of the breadcrumbs, stirred with the milk.
• 10 increase the heat, stirring as the meat changes color.
• 11 leave to cook for about 15 minutes, adding the rest of the parsley near the end of the cooking.
• 12 spoon the meat mixture into a casserole dish and top with the crushed potatoes.
• 13 mix the gruyere with the remaining breadcrumbs.
• 14 sprinkle over the top and dot with butter, before cooking in a 350 f or 180 c oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and crusty on top.
• 15 serve immediately.