Shepherd's pie
Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or hachis Parmentier is a dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato. Its defining ingredients are red meat (lamb or beef), onions, gravy or sauce, a topping of mashed potato. Common variants include adding vegetables to the filling and topping the dish with cheese. Origin of the name. The term "cottage pie" was in use by 1791. The term "shepherd's pie" did not appear until 1854, and was initially used synonymously with cottage pie, regardless of whether the meat was beef or mutton. Several cookery writers have asserted in  recent decades that "shepherd's pie" uses lamb while "cottage pie" uses beef. The French name "hachis Parmentier" is documented in French in 1900, and in English in 1898, and is generally defined as synonymous or equivalent to shepherd's pie. A "hachis" is anything finely chopped; the English word 'hash' is borrowed from it. 'Parmentier' is Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, after whom many potato dishes were named, as he was instrumental in the promotion of the potato in France in the 18th century. History. In early cookery books, the dish is given as a way of using leftover roasted meat  of any kind, and the pie dish was lined on the sides and bottom with mashed potato, as well as having a mashed potato crust on top. In France, hachis Parmentier was a "commonplace" and "homely" dish of the "cuisine bourgeoise", which was nonetheless given place of honor at a Culinary Exhibition in Paris. Hachis parmentier is an economical way of using leftover meat, especially from pot-au-feu. Henri-Paul Pellaprat lists it in his section on leftovers, as does the "bible" of bourgeois cuisine, "Mme. St-Ange", under the name "hachis de bœuf au gratin". A more elaborate  version in 1921 by Auguste Escoffier consisted of a baked potato whose contents were emptied, mixed with diced meat and sauce lyonnaise, and returned to the potato shells or skins to be baked. This version is not found in standard cookbooks. Variations and similar dishes. Sometimes there is a bottom layer of potato as well as a top. Other potato-topped pies include: