I’m the kind of cook who goes to the market with a list and returns with everything but what was on it. It takes only one beautiful squash, apple or bunch of herbs to make me change my plans. Even when I’m at the stove, there’s no guarantee that I won’t turn things topsy-turvy at the last minute. It’s what happened over and over with this recipe, and I’ll be surprised if you don’t end up playing around with it, too.
The inspiration for the dish is hachis Parmentier, the French version of shepherd’s pie. For the classic, the base is chopped beef (“hachis” means minced) and the top, the Parmentier part, is mashed potatoes. In the culinary lexicon, Parmentier always signals potatoes, an homage to Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who championed the nutritiousness of spuds in late 18th-century France, his native land, where farmers were forbidden to grow them for fear that they caused leprosy.
I can imagine celebrations in the streets of Paris when, in 1772, the Faculty of Medicine declared the white potato edible. And I can imagine hachis Parmentier being created just minutes later, because it’s one of the tastiest ways to make a meal out of leftovers or inexpensive cuts of meat.
My version of the Parmentier depends less on leftovers and more on what’s in the fridge. The core ingredients are the chicken — I use thighs, but you can use other parts — and the sausage: chicken (my choice) or pork, spiced or plain. The chicken is not hachis-ed, but cut into morsels, and the sausage is broken up, so you get different textures in the dish. As for the vegetables, here’s where the tinkering takes off. I’ve given you a recipe for a medley using onion, carrots, parsnips, celery and kale or spinach, but if you’ve got something else or want to keep adding vegetables, I say do it.
Recently, I made this dish with the standards plus cubed turnips (they added a nice bitterness to the mix), cubed butternut squash, leeks (left over from soup) and bottled chestnuts (they’d been lurking in the cupboard since Thanksgiving). I used chard and curly kale, because that’s what I had, and I was tempted to add fennel, but I was in danger of a pot-runneth-over crisis.
As for the spices, I started using garam masala with this dish when a friend gave me some. From there, it was just a hop, skip and jump to adding curry powder, turmeric for color and star anise because I’m crazy about it. But the chicken-vegetable-and-potato combo would take to fresh herbs. Think parsley, thyme, bay leaf and maybe even a little tarragon; to tagine-like spices such as cinnamon, ginger and saffron; or to something American Southwest spicy, such as chili powder, a jalapeno and maybe a drizzle of honey to soften it all.
And then there are the potatoes. I went contra-Parmentier and used sweet potatoes, but if you prefer whites, hey, it’s your dish. And if, like me, you can’t resist running with an idea, do what I’ve often done: Cook celery root along with the sweets, and mash them together.
Tinker. Fiddle around. Have fun.
Chicken Parmentier
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 fresh chicken sausages or pork sausages (about 6 ounces total), spicy or mild, casings removed
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, preferably organic, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1-to-2-inch chunks
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large Spanish or Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger root
4 medium carrots, scrubbed well and cut into small chunks (or sliced about 1/2-inch thick)
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into small chunks (or sliced about 1/2-inch thick)
3 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 points of 1 whole star anise
1 1/4 cups no-salt-added chicken broth
2 cups packed baby kale or spinach
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
Make ahead: The chicken and mashed sweet potatoes can be cooked (separately), cooled and refrigerated a day in advance. The casserole(s) can be assembled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. The baked casseroles can be reheated, covered, in a conventional or microwave oven.
Pour 1/2 tablespoon of the oil into a large skillet (chose one with a lid, or find a plate to use as a cover) over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the sausage. Cook, stirring and mashing with a wooden spoon to break up any clumps, until the meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Pour 1/4 cup of water into the skillet and stir to dislodge any browned bits; let it come to a boil. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl. Drain off any remaining water and return the skillet to medium heat.
Pour in 1 tablespoon of the oil and, when hot, add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to the bowl with the sausage. Season the chicken and sausage lightly with salt and pepper.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet (over medium heat). Toss in the onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, parsnips and celery, stirring to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, garam masala, turmeric and points of star anise. Return the chicken and sausage to the skillet; pour in the broth. Give the mixture a good stir, cover and cook over medium-low heat (you want to keep the broth slightly bubbling) for about 10 minutes. Taste, and add salt and/or pepper as needed. Turn off the heat, stir in the kale or spinach and, once again, taste for salt and pepper. Pull out and discard the points of star anise. Let cool.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop in the sweet potatoes and cook until soft enough to mash against the side of the pot, about 20 minutes. Drain them well, transfer to a bowl and mash until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, which will make any spillover cleanup a snap. Place a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, casserole or souffle dish, or individual gratin dishes (not low-walled) on the sheet.
Spoon the chicken-vegetable mixture into the baking dish or divide evenly among the gratin dishes. Top with the mashed sweet potatoes; I usually spoon them over and give them a swirl with the back of a spoon, but if you’d like, you can pipe the potatoes (put them in a zip-top bag, seal and snip off a corner) in a spiral or concentric circles. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are browned and, most important, the juices are bubbling. You’ll see them burbling up around the edges of the baking dish.
Serve right away. Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition 5/8 Per serving: 490 calories, 25g protein, 64g carbohydrates, 15g fat, 3g saturated fat, 105mg cholesterol, 530mg sodium, 12g dietary fiber, 16g sugar.
Dorie Greenspan is the award-winning author of 11 cookbooks, the most recent of which is “Baking Chez Moi.” Read more on her Web site, doriegreenspan.com, and follow her on Twitter: doriegreenspan.
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