Pâté Chinois

This is a very traditional French Canadian dish that is another cold weather favorite (although we do eat it year round!).  This is a family recipe that I have slightly adapted.  There are a few steps to this dish, but each is really quite easy and it is well worth the effort.

Enjoy!

Pâté Chinois

Created by Shannon Fraser

Serves 4 to 6

Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 1 ½ Hours

Ingredients

§  1 Lb. of Lean Ground Beef

§  1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

§  1 Onion

§  1 14 Oz. Can Cream of Corn

§  4 Potatoes

§  2 Tbsp. Salted Butter, plus more for greasing

§  ¼ Cup Milk

§  Salt & Pepper

Preparation

1.       Preheat oven to 375°F. 

2.       Steam the peeled and large diced potatoes.  Once fork tender, drain and return to pot over low heat.  Dry the potatoes slightly then add the butter and mash the potatoes a little before adding the milk.  Mash the potatoes until fluffy and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside. 

3.       While the potatoes are steaming, in a medium skillet set over medium heat, cook the ground beef.  Season with salt and pepper and remove from pan.  Set aside.

4.       While the meat is cooking, finely dice the onion.  Once meat is done, using the same skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil and finely diced onions.  Cook until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the ground beef and toss to combine.  Set aside.

5.       Butter a square glass baking dish and start layering with the meat and onion mixture.  Then add the whole can of cream of corn, spreading the corn in an even layer over the meat mixture.  Top with an even layer of the mashed potatoes.  Brush the top with melted butter.  Bake for 1 hour until the juices are bubbling and the top is nice and golden brown. 

* Notes

v  Be sure to place your baking dish on top of a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil to catch any spills.

v  I like to mash my potatoes using a hand mixer.  They come out really fluffy!  Just make sure not to over whip them as they will take on glue like texture.