We’ve shared lots of vegan and veggie recipes, so here is something for the carnivores. This comforting and indulgent, slow-cooking Lancashire Hot Pot from James May’s Oh Cook! is full of flavour and texture, and might just become your new favourite dinner. Make sure you start it early though.
From Oh Cook! by James May:
This is a much posher hotpot than any I ever ate as a student in Lancaster. For a more low-rent version, use chopped up lamb’s kidney instead of the lamb, or Spam. I wouldn’t, though.
SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 2 hours, at least
INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp olive oil
12 lamb cutlets
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
2–3 tsp flour (optional)
750ml/11/4 pints/3 cups hot lamb or vegetable stock
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
450g/1lb floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper, sliced
2 tbsp butter
Salt ’n’ pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/375ºF. Put a large lidded casserole in the oven to heat up.
Meanwhile, add the oil to a large frying pan and fry the cutlets on both sides to brown them off a bit. You might need to do this in stages depending on the size of your pan. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Now soften the onions in the same pan, but not too much – 4–5 minutes should be enough. Don’t let them brown.
Take the hot casserole from the oven and chuck the lamb and onions into it. Stir in a couple of teaspoons of flour if
you want a thicker sauce, and add the stock. Add the thyme leaves and a bit o’ seasoning.
Put the lid on this lot and shove it back in the oven for around 30 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven. Stir in the sliced carrots. Now layer the sliced potatoes over the top, so that they overlap attractively and cover the whole area.
Put the lid back on and stick it back in the oven for an hour. Take it back out of the oven. Turn the oven up to 230ºC/450ºF. Dot the butter over the top of the potato layer, then put it back in the oven, without the lid on, for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden.
Serve and talk about trouble at t’ mill.
This Lancashire Hot Pot recipe features in James May’s book Oh Cook!.
