Hachis de Bœuf à l’Américaine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch heavy skillet
• •2.5 to 3-quart heavy saucepan
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Broad heatproof spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Deep heatproof serving bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut equal dice

   Cut the cold cooked beef into even 1/3-inch dice, trimming away any hard gristle or heavy seams of fat. Cut the peeled potatoes to the same size, then blot them completely dry. Weigh both after trimming: you want 600 g of each. That equal weight is not decorative arithmetic; half the potato gives the hachis its body and half provides the crisp contrast. Keep the beef cold while the potatoes cook.

   Cold roast beef cuts cleanly instead of crumbling. Use a sharp knife and preserve the small cubes specified by the dish; this is not a minced-beef preparation.
2. 2

   Toss potatoes in butter

   Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat. When the foam subsides, add all the dry potato dice, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Toss until every piece gleams with butter, then cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the centers are tender and the edges are lightly golden. Keep the heat measured. If the butter blackens before the potatoes soften, transfer them to a plate, wipe the bitter milk solids from the pan, and return the potatoes with enough reserved butter to restore a thin coat. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Fry the crisp half

   Transfer half the tender potatoes, about 2 cups or 300 g, to a heavy saucepan and add the diced beef. Leave the other half in the skillet, add the remaining butter, and raise the heat to medium. Fry for another 5 to 7 minutes, turning rather than stirring constantly, until the potatoes are crisp and deeply butter-gold on several faces. Taste one and add a pinch of the remaining seasoning if needed, then hold them uncovered so their crust stays crisp.

4. 4

   Bind without boiling

   Add the tomato sauce and reduced veal gravy to the saucepan containing the beef and tender potatoes. Fold gently with a broad spatula until the sauce lightly coats and coheres the dice without crushing them. Set the pan over the lowest heat and warm for 6 to 8 minutes, folding only once or twice, until thoroughly hot, about 165°F or 74°C for refrigerated leftovers. The sauce may quiver at the edge but must never bubble. If it begins to boil, pull the pan from the heat at once, let it settle for a minute, then return it to the lowest flame. Ça se rattrape. If the binding is too tight, loosen it with a teaspoon of hot water; if it is loose, lift out the solids, reduce the liquid alone briefly, and fold everything back together.

   Boiling cannot make already-cooked beef more tender. It only contracts the fibers and breaks the potato dice, which is why the gentle warming is the step that decides the dish.
5. 5

   Crown and serve

   Warm a deep heatproof serving bowl with hot water, then empty and dry it thoroughly. Taste the hachis and correct the remaining salt and pepper with care because the reduced veal gravy already carries seasoning. Spoon the mixture into the warm bowl, preserving its distinct dice, and distribute every crisp potato over the top. Finish with the freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately, before the crown has time to soften. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use cold leftover roast beef, not raw minced beef. Top round, sirloin, or a modest roast all work, provided the meat is already cooked and cut into small cubes. Technique first, always.
• •The home equivalent for the old kitchen’s stockpot is a good prepared veal demi-glace. Prepare it according to its directions and reduce it only until it coats a spoon lightly; packet brown gravy brings starch and salt but none of the gelatinous body this hachis needs.
• •Choose a waxy or all-purpose potato such as Yukon Gold. Floury potatoes fracture as you turn them and disappear into the sauce. Weigh them after peeling so the original equal-weight ratio remains intact.
• •Plain tomato sauce is correct here. A smooth sauce made from good canned tomatoes is better than pale out-of-season fruit, and it should carry no basil, oregano, or garlic that the entry never asked for.
• •Pour a light Beaujolais and serve the hachis with a sharply dressed green salad if you want something alongside. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

Advance Preparation

• •The cooked beef may be diced up to 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Count its storage from the day the roast was first cooked, and use it within 4 days total.
• •The tomato sauce and reduced veal gravy may be measured up to 2 days ahead. The potatoes may be diced and held under cold water for up to 4 hours, but they must be drained and dried thoroughly before meeting the butter.
• •Do not assemble the whole dish ahead. The bound beef mixture can tolerate gentle reheating, but the crisp potato crown cannot; fry and add that half only when the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 320g)