French hachis Parmentier is the kind of dish that sneaks up on you. At first glance, it’s humble—ground beef, onions, and carrots baked beneath a layer of mashed potatoes—but just like its cousin, shepherd’s pie, it’s deeply comforting, surprisingly nuanced, and exactly what you want on a frigid night. But hachis Parmentier is a little softer and more classic; it’s focused on coaxing out the best flavor from good ingredients.
Hachis Parmentier is named for Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, an 18th-century French pharmacist and agronomist who is most known for his advocacy on a topic near and dear to me: People should eat more potatoes. Apparently at the time, potatoes were not particularly popular (they were feared, actually) in France—and Parmentier was really out there doing the most to change that. He published research on potato safety, and when that didn’t work he hosted potato-themed dinner parties for local celebrities like Benjamin Franklin and staged potato publicity stunts. Hachis Parmentier was named after Antoine-Augustin in part for the potato topping, and in part due to the dish’s resourcefulness. Originally, it was meant as a way to use up leftover minced pot au feu meat.
