With a heady mix of creativity and conflict, the drama of professional kitchens makes for good television. Japan¡¯s noteworthy addition to this genre is the binge-worthy 2017 drama series, ¡°La Grande Maison Tokyo,¡± now available on Netflix. (A follow-up movie, ¡°La Grande Maison Paris,¡± was released in cinemas at the end of December 2024.)
Featuring Takuya Kimura and Kyoka Suzuki in lead roles as chefs, the series is remarkable for its meticulous depiction of high-end cuisine and cooking techniques. The dishes were supervised by renowned Tokyo-based chefs, namely Shuzo Kishida of the three-Michelin-starred Quintessence, and Thomas Frebel of (the now-defunct) Inua.
As always, what catches my eye in such a show is simple fare rather than complicated dishes: In episode five, a young chef in the kitchen of the famed L¡¯Ambroisie restaurant in Paris makes a parmentier (a culinary term for a dish prepared with potatoes; in this case, a French shepherd¡¯s pie) as a staff meal.
Potato-topped parmentier can be filled with anything from duck confit to beef or lamb or even last night¡¯s fish scraps. In keeping with such a theme, I use my favorite izakaya (Japanese pub) staple and a common leftover in my fridge ¡ª hokke (Okhotsk Atka mackerel), for my Japanese spin on a fish pie. To make the recipe easier to follow, I opted for fresh boneless filets, but using leftover hokke or mixing it with fresh fish would work, too.
Serves 6
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 kilogram potatoes
- 100 milliliters cream
- 50 grams butter
- 200 grams onions
- 200 grams carrots
- 200 grams celery
- Salt and pepper, to season
- 1 small bunch tarragon or thyme
- 300 grams hokke (leftover or fresh)
- 100 grams green peas (optional)
- 50 grams gruyere cheese (grated)
Directions:
1. Peel and cube the potatoes, place them in cold, lightly salted water, then bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pot, then add half of the cream (50 milliliters) and half of the butter (25 grams), mashing them until they turn smooth.
3. Finely dice the onions, carrots and celery, then lightly sweat them in a 30-centimeter frying pan with the remaining butter.
4. Add the remaining cream and season with salt, pepper and tarragon or thyme. Then lay the hokke filets atop the vegetables, covering with a lid to steam for five minutes on medium heat.
5. Remove the lid and break up the fish. Transfer the fish and sweated vegetables to an oven-safe dish. If your frying pan is oven-safe, use that. Sprinkle with optional green peas.
6. Top with the mashed potatoes and Gruyere cheese and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until golden brown.
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