---
title: "Hachis Parmentier"
description: "The French version of cottage pie. Beef cheeks are slow-braised in red wine instead of using mince, then topped with mash made from baked potatoes and grated Emmental. The beef takes about three hours, but most of that is in the oven."
category: "Main Course"
cuisine: "French"
serves: "6 people"
prep: "30 mins"
cook: "4 hrs 45 mins"
author: "Thomas Chaplin"
site: "Chaplin Kitchen"
url: "https://chaplinkitchen.com/r/hachis-parmentier/"
datePublished: "2026-09-27T21:17:25+01:00"
dateModified: "2026-10-03T23:20:21+01:00"
---

# Hachis Parmentier

The French version of cottage pie. Beef cheeks are slow-braised in red wine instead of using mince, then topped with mash made from baked potatoes and grated Emmental. The beef takes about three hours, but most of that is in the oven.

**Category:** Main Course · **Cuisine:** French · **Serves:** 6 people · **Prep:** 30 mins · **Cook:** 4 hrs 45 mins

**Recipe URL:** https://chaplinkitchen.com/r/hachis-parmentier/

## Ingredients

- 1.5kg beef cheeks
- 375ml red wine _(full-bodied)_
- 300ml beef stock
- 2 carrots _(roughly chopped)_
- 2 celery sticks _(roughly chopped)_
- 1 onion _(roughly chopped, for the braise)_
- ½ garlic bulb _(cut across, for the braise)_
- 30g tomato paste
- 1 bouquet garni
- Salt and pepper _(for the braise)_
- Oil _(for frying)_
- 2 onions _(finely chopped, for the ragù)_
- 4 garlic cloves _(finely chopped, for the ragù)_
- 65g butter _(softened, for the beurre manié)_
- 65g plain flour _(for the beurre manié)_
- 10g parsley _(chopped)_
- Salt and pepper _(for the ragù)_
- 3 large baking potatoes
- 75g butter _(for the mash)_
- 30ml whole milk
- Nutmeg _(freshly grated)_
- Emmental cheese _(grated, to top)_

## Method

### Braised Beef

1. **Heat the oven.** Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas 1.
2. **Brown the beef cheeks.** Season the beef cheeks with salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in a large ovenproof casserole over a high heat and brown the cheeks well on all sides, in batches so the pan stays hot. Lift them out and set aside.
3. **Colour the vegetables.** Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic bulb to the casserole and cook, stirring, until they take on some colour.
4. **Cook out the tomato paste.** Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until it darkens.
5. **Build the sauce.** Pour in the red wine a little at a time, stirring and scraping up the browned bits so it thickens into a sauce as it goes. Add the beef stock and the bouquet garni, season, and return the beef cheeks and any juices to the pan.
6. **Braise until tender.** Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise in the oven for 2-3 hours, until the beef is very tender and pulls apart with a fork.
7. **Shred the beef.** Lift out the beef cheeks and shred them with two forks. Strain the braising liquid and keep it; discard the vegetables and bouquet garni.

### Hachis Parmentier

8. **Bake the potatoes.** Turn the oven up to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Prick the potatoes and bake them for 1 hour, until soft all the way through. Make the ragù while they bake.
9. **Make the beurre manié.** Mash the softened butter and flour together into a smooth paste.
10. **Sweat the onions.** Heat a little oil in a large pan over a medium-low heat and sweat the onions for 5-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes more.
11. **Thicken the ragù.** Add the shredded beef cheeks and the reserved braising liquid and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the beurre manié a little at a time, letting it bubble for a minute between additions, until the ragù is thick and glossy.
12. **Finish the ragù.** Stir in the parsley, season with salt and pepper, and spread the ragù in a roasting dish.
13. **Mash the potatoes.** Halve the baked potatoes, scoop out the flesh and push it through a sieve or ricer. Beat in the butter and the milk, then season with nutmeg and salt.
14. **Top the pie.** Turn the oven up to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Spread the mash over the ragù, rough up the surface with a fork, and scatter over the Emmental.
15. **Bake until golden.** Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp and the ragù is bubbling at the edges.

## Notes

- **Save the braising liquid.** The strained wine and stock from the braise is what goes into the ragù, so do not throw it away with the vegetables. If there is not much left after straining, top it up with a splash of beef stock.
- **Add the beurre manié gradually.** You may not need all 130g. It depends on how much liquid the braise gave up, so stop once the ragù coats the back of a spoon.
- **Bake the potatoes, don't boil them.** A baked potato is drier inside than a boiled one, so the mash takes more butter without going gluey. A ricer gives the smoothest result, and a masher will do.
- **Make it ahead.** The beef can be braised a day or two in advance and kept in its liquid in the fridge. The fat sets on top and is easy to lift off, and the flavour is better for the wait. The assembled pie keeps in the fridge for a day before baking; give it 30-35 minutes at 220°C from cold.
- **Beef cheeks** usually have to be ordered from a butcher. Braising steak or chuck works too, and needs about 2 hours.