Pate chinois in Montreal
Pate chinois is Quebec's shepherd's pie, three neat layers of seasoned ground beef, cream-style corn and mashed potato baked until the top browns.
The story of Pate chinois
Pate chinois likely dates to the late 1800s, with folklore tying its name to Chinese railway-camp cooks feeding workers cheap beef, corn and potato. Whatever the origin, it became a defining Quebecois comfort dish, its steak-ble-d-inde-patates layering known to every household in the province. It remains a true weeknight comfort food across Quebec, as likely to appear in a Montreal home kitchen as on a diner menu, endlessly debated over ketchup versus none.
How to make Pate chinois
Serves: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 600g ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can cream-style corn
- 1 can whole-kernel corn
- 1kg potatoes, boiled
- 50g butter
- 100ml milk
- Salt, pepper and paprika
Method
- Brown the beef with the onion, season well and spread in a baking dish.
- Mix the cream-style and whole-kernel corn and layer it over the beef.
- Mash the potatoes with butter and milk, then spread over the corn.
- Dust with paprika and bake at 190C for 30 minutes until the top is golden.
Editor tip. Rough up the mashed-potato top with a fork before baking so the peaks catch colour in the oven.
The editor-picked rooms for Pate chinois in Montreal are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Montreal signature-dishes index or the Montreal food guide.