Pâté Chinois Recipe (Quebec Shepherd’s Pie)
with l'épicier
- Preparation 30 min
- Cooking 1 h
- Servings 8
- Freezing Absolutely
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🥧 My kids’ favorite shepherd’s pie!
I made this one for my kids. My classic Quebec pâté chinois, the one we all grew up with: ground meat, corn, potatoes. With a little twist of lentils, because it’s just delicious! It’s more flavorful, more filling, and the creamy aged cheddar mash on top bakes until it’s golden brown. You’ll see, it’s the kind of dinner that empties the whole dish.
🌽 Corn, browned in the skillet
When I was a kid, I ate the most basic pâté chinois you can imagine. Mine is made with frozen corn that I brown in olive oil. It gets sweet, a little roasted, and it tastes like real corn. It’s definitely better.
🫘 Where the lentils came from
My kids’ mom started adding them to hers, and it gave me the idea for this version. Lentils stretch the meat, give it a great texture and an incredible taste. And it makes a shepherd’s pie that’s even higher in protein!
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🌽 Really brown your corn
Use your biggest skillet and leave the corn alone between stirs. If it’s crowded or you stir it nonstop, it heats up without browning. You want it golden in spots, almost roasted: that’s when it gets sweet.
🥩 Drain off some fat
Once the meat is well browned, drain it to remove some of the fat before adding the sauces, herbs and lentils. Your meat layer stays full of flavor without swimming in grease.
🫘 Rinse your lentils well
Canned brown or green lentils, well rinsed and well drained. They soak up the soy and Worcestershire, and nobody notices them in the meat.
🧀 Cheddar into hot potatoes
Add it right after mashing, while the potatoes are still very hot: it melts completely. The age of the cheddar doesn’t matter, just make it sharp, it’s what gives the mash its character.
🥔 Russet or yellow potatoes
Russets make a light mash and yellow potatoes a creamier one. Both are perfect here.
❄️ Storage
It keeps 3 to 5 days in the fridge, well covered. It also freezes really well, baked or assembled and unbaked.
📅 Make-ahead prep
The day before, chop your onion and garlic, grate your cheddar and store everything in labelled containers. Measure your herbs and sauces into a small jar. The mashed potatoes, though, are made the same day: mash made ahead just isn’t as good. On dinner day, everything’s ready, you just cook and assemble.
✅ What to serve with my pâté chinois recipe
Classic ketchup is a must. But try my homemade fruit ketchup and my homemade pickled beets too. For some crunch on the side, my creamy coleslaw with apples and celery does the job. And if you love this kind of dinner, try my hachis Parmentier (French cottage pie) or my shepherd’s pie with beef, lamb and sweet potato mash.
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Mashed potatoes
- 6 large Russet or yellow potatoes (about 2 lb / 1 kg), peeled and cubed
- ¼ cup (60 ml) salted butter
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream or light cream, warm
- 1 ¼ cups (310 ml) aged cheddar, grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Corn
- 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 ml) olive oil
- 3 ½ cups (875 ml) frozen corn kernels
Meat and lentils
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 lb (900 g) ground beef, pork and veal mix
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp (5 ml) herbes de Provence
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can (19 oz / 540 ml) brown or green lentils, rinsed and drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Topping
- ¼ cup (60 ml) aged cheddar, grated
- Sweet paprika
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Preparation
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of well-salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain completely.
- Mash the potatoes with a masher or potato ricer, adding the butter and warm cream. Stir in the cheddar while the potatoes are still very hot so it melts. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the frozen corn and brown it for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Transfer to a bowl.
- In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the onion for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Add the meat and garlic, and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until well browned.
- Drain the meat to remove some of the fat, then return it to the skillet. Add the herbes de Provence, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and lentils. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, spread the meat and lentil mixture, pressing lightly. Cover with the corn, then with the mashed potatoes. Make ridges with a fork, sprinkle with the cheddar and dust with paprika.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Finish under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving with ketchup.
Nobody really knows. The best-known theory points to cooks on railway construction sites in the late 1800s, who fed Chinese workers ground beef, corn and potatoes, all cheap ingredients. Another points to the town of China, Maine, where Quebec workers supposedly discovered the dish.
Both have a meat layer under mashed potatoes. Pâté chinois is the Quebec version, with ground beef and a layer of corn in the middle. Mine uses a mix of three meats, lentils, skillet-browned corn and a sharp cheddar mash.
Absolutely. You can freeze it baked, or assembled and unbaked. Wrap the dish tightly and keep it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge before baking.
I haven’t tried it, but you can. Replace the meat with more lentils, or even a mix of vegetables, and keep the same sauces and herbs.
Canned brown or green lentils, rinsed and well drained. They hold their shape while cooking and blend into the meat without turning mushy.
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