This is a very easy and delicious recipe. Homemade Lancashire hot pot is so much nicer than shop bought. This is my take on this definitive northern gem tweaked and tested over the years.
Ingredients
- 18 oz (500 g) lamb neck or shoulder is fine, cut into thumb sized chunks
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 pint (500 ml) lamb or Chicken stock (fine to make with a couple of stock cubes)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 x 25 mm (1”) chunk of fresh ginger chopped finely
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 3 medium sized carrots peeled and cut into random chunks
- 1½ lb (600 g ) potatoes peeled and sliced to 2-3 mm (¼ “) thick (white floury potatoes are best)
- 1 tbsp butter melted for brushing on to the potato tops
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 170C (325F).
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium sized flame proof casserole dish and fry the lamb until browned all over (about 5 minutes). Ladle the lamb into a bowl, then add ginger to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft.
- place the lamb back in, then stir in the flour, cooking for 2 minutes. Add in the bay leaves, lamb stock, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a gently simmer. Then place the lid and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Now add and stir in the carrots.
- Starting from the outside, layer the potatoes, moving towards the centre to the outside overlapping each one, just like roof tiles.
- Brush the melted butter on to the top of the potatoes and scatter on the thyme. Cover with its lid and then place back in the oven for further hour.
- Next, turn the oven up to 200C (400F) and remove the lid. Cook for a further 30 minutes until the potatoes are crispy brown on top.
- Remove from the oven, and leave to rest for 10 minutes or so (it will be very hot), then serve immediately with optional green veg.