Pâté Chinois

Pâté chinois — literally ‘Chinese pie’ — is a dish of delicious theories: some say Chinese laborers on the Canadian Pacific Railway cooked it in their camps, others insist it was served to Chinese workers by Irish cooks, and a few swear the name is a misheard ‘chef’s pie.’ Whatever the truth, by the early 1900s it had become the standard supper in Quebec homes, where every family has its own layering rules.

What makes it great is how much comfort fits in one humble casserole: seasoned beef on the bottom, sweet creamed corn in the middle, and a cloud of mashed potatoes on top, baked until the peaks turn golden. It’s economical, filling, and endlessly nostalgic — and it tastes even better the next day.

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