Where it comes from
Quebec Canadian Pacific Railway construction era saw Chinese cooks adapt British shepherd's pie with corn as the cheap middle layer — hence 'pâté chinois' (Chinese pie).
On the plate
Crisp browned potato top breaks into creamy mash; sweet corn layer in the middle softens the beef's savory base.
How it works
Three-layer technique stacks distinct flavors — savory, sweet, starchy — each cooked separately then baked together to fuse.
Variations
Cheese-topped version adds shredded cheddar before final baking. Vegetarian uses lentils for the bottom layer.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
4 steps · Show ↓30 min active · 45 min waiting
How it's made
4 steps · Show ↓- 110 min
Brown 500 g ground beef with 1 chopped onion in 30 ml oil 10 min; season; spread in baking dish.
- 23 min
Top with layer of 400 g whole corn kernels + 200 g cream-style corn.
- 38 min
Top with 800 g mashed potato (with butter and milk); rake top with fork.
- 430 min
Bake 200 °C 30 min until top is golden brown; rest 5 min before serving.
