Lancashire Hotpot Recipe

By Anthony Puharich and Libby Travers

Lancashire Hotpot Recipe

Lancashire Hotpot Recipe

This tender lamb dish is the perfect comfort food for a lazy Sunday night.

Serves 6

Prep time 20 minutes
Cook 6½ hours

Ingredients:

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) best-end lamb neck chops

Olive oil, for cooking

2½ tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, for dusting

2 brown onions, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) lamb stock (see below) or chicken stock

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 fresh bay leaves

3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked, plus extra to serve

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) large floury potatoes, sliced into 7–8 mm (¼–3/8 inch) thick rounds

30 g (1 oz) butter, melted

braised red cabbage or wilted spinach with garlic and a squeeze of lemon, to serve

Lamb stock

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) lamb bones

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

1 garlic bulb, halved

3 thyme sprigs

1 fresh bay leaf

Method:

To make the lamb stock, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Spread the lamb bones in a roasting tin and roast, turning occasionally, for 30–40 minutes until well browned. Meanwhile, spread the onion and carrot in a separate roasting tin and roast, turning occasionally, for 30–40 minutes until browned.

Combine the lamb bones, roasted vegetables, garlic and herbs in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by about 5 cm (2 inches). Bring to the boil, skim off any scum from the surface and simmer for 2–3 hours until well flavoured. Strain (discarding the solids) and refrigerate until required. Remove any fat from the surface before using.

To make the hotpot, preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Heat a splash of olive oil in a large enamelled cast-iron casserole over medium–high heat. Dust the lamb chops with seasoned flour, then add them to the casserole in batches, turning occasionally, for 4–5 minutes to brown well all over: the deeper the browning, the better the flavour of the finished dish, so take your time to do this well. Transfer to a plate.

Add the onion and garlic to the casserole and fry, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes, until beginning to brown. Stir in any excess seasoned flour left over from dusting the lamb, cooking the flour until lightly golden, then gradually add the stock and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine.

Return the lamb to the casserole, add the bay leaves and two-thirds of the thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

Remove from the heat and layer the potatoes on top, seasoning with salt and pepper and scattering with the remaining thyme as you go. Brush with the melted butter, cover and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for 20–30 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and lamb is tender. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

 

Images and recipes from Meat: The Ultimate  Anthony Puharich and Libby Travers. Photography by Alan Benson, Murdoch Books, RRP $79.99

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe. 

Member Login