Submitted by: Bára N.
Recipe Source Country: Canada
Cooking/Prep time: 1 to 2 hours
This dish can also be prepared as a vegetarian with chickpeas or soy.
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 680 g of potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 55 g of butter or more
- 125 ml of milk
- approximately 450 g of lean or semi-lean minced beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tins (540 ml) of corn (or creamed corn)
- salt
- pepper
Directions
- Put the potatoes in the pot. Pour cold water over the potatoes. Salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain. Return the potatoes to the pan.
- Using a pestle, roughly mash the potatoes with 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of butter. Using an electric blender, blend the mixture with the milk to a mash. Salt and pepper. Let it chill.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in the remaining butter. Add the meat and cook until golden brown. Salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
- Lightly squeeze the meat into the bottom of the cooking vessel (taller baking dish or roasting pan). Spread out the corn and then the mashed potatoes.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool down for 10 minutes.
Pâté chinois has its own story. It used to be served to Chinese workers working on the Canadian Pacific Railway. All the ingredients were cheap at the time. The whole dish is very filling, so it’s perfect for hungry workers! Although the recipe seems very cheap, it is very popular among Quebecers (Canadians) nowadays! My younger host sister herself begged for it for her birthday during my stay in Canada.