True Lancashire Hot Pot Food

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
• Heat a little of the 100g dripping or butter in a large shallow casserole dish and brown 900g stewing lamb chunks in batches, lift to a plate, then repeat with 3 trimmed and sliced lamb kidneys.
• Fry 2 chopped onions and 4 peeled and sliced carrots in the pan with a little more dripping until golden.
• Sprinkle over 25g plain flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, pour in 500ml lamb or chicken stock, then bring to the boil.
• Stir in the stewing lamb and kidneys and 2 bay leaves, then turn off the heat.
• Arrange 900g peeled and sliced potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with a little more dripping.
• Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked.
• Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more dripping, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes, or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.

TRADITIONAL LANCASHIRE HOT POT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/325F
• Melt the butter and vegetable oil in a medium sized casserole or sauce pan and fry the lamb pan until lightly browned all over (about 3-4 minutes). Spoon the lamb into a bowl, then add the onions to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft.
• Add the lamb back in, then stir in the flour, cooking for a minute. Add in the stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Give everything a stir, bring to a gently bubble. Then place a lid on it and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, stir in the carrots. At this point, you can transfer the contents of the pan to a casserole or pie dish if you wish (I moved mine to a 25cm diameter pie dish). Top with the sliced potatoes. Start from the outside, and layer the potatoes, moving towards the centre.
• Brush the top of the potatoes with the melted butter and sprinkle on the dried thyme. Cover with a lid or foil and place back in the oven for 1 hour.
• After an hour, turn the oven up to 200c/400f and remove the lid. Cook for a further 30 minutes until the potatoes are browned and crisp on top.
• Take out of the oven, and leave to rest for 5 minutes or so (it will be very hot), then serve with some green veg.

REAL LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Cut the lamb into pieces suitable for serving. Skin the kidney, cut in half lengthways, cut out the white fatty core and cut the kidney into pieces. Peel and slice the onions, carrot, and turnip (if used). Peel and slice the potatoes and cut into thick slices (1/2in/1.25 cm).
• Heat the oil in a frying pan, and brown the lamb pieces over a medium heat, turning them so that they cook on all sides. Brown the kidney, and arrange all the meat in a casserole or ovenproof dish. Fry the onion in the pan for 3-4 minutes, to soften it. Add the sliced carrot and turnip (if used) and continue to fry gently, stirring all the time, for a further 3 minutes.
• Add the vegetables to the meat in the casserole. Dissolve the stock cube in 2 cups of boiling water. Sprinkle the flour over the remaining juices in the frying pan, and stir. Gradually stir in the stock, stirring hard to make a smooth gravy and adding the salt, pepper and herbs. Pour the gravy over the meat in the casserole, to cover the meat and vegetables.
• Then cover the meat with a thick layer of potato slices, placing them so that they overlap and form a thick crust. Dot with the butter. Cover with a lid or piece of tight-fitting foil, and cook in a moderate oven (325F/170C/Gas Mark 3-4) for 1 1/2-2 hours, removing the lid for the last half hour of cooking time, to brown the top. If the top does not seem to be getting crispy enough, either increase the oven heat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6-7, or pop the casserole dish under a hot grill for a few minutes.
• If you have cook the casserole on top of the stove because an oven is not available, simmer the casserole very gently for 1 1/2-2 hours, then brown the potato topping under the grill as described above.

TRADITIONAL LANCASHIRE HOTPOT (LAMB HOTPOT)

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350°F
• Peel and slice the potatoes and onions
• Place a layer of potatoes in a casserole dish and top with half the onions and add the carrots. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Trim most of the visible fat from the lamb and discard.
• Heat the oil in a separate pan and fry the pieces of lamb until they are nicely browned on all sides.
• Arrange the browned lamb over the vegetables and cover with the remaining onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Dissolve the stock cubes in boiling water.
• Add the worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste to the stock and mix.
• Mix the flour to a paste with a little cold water and mix into the stock.
• Pour the stock over the meat until it just covers the ingredients.
• Arrange a layer of potatoes on top of the meat, overlapping them slightly like fish-scales. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Cover the casserole dish with a lid and place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 90 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven and test the meat for doneness. If the meat is still a bit tough, cover and return to the oven for another few minutes until the meat is done.
• Remove the lid from the casserole dish and replace in the oven. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes start to crisp and turn golden brown.

LANCASHIRE HOT POT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter in large overproof pan. Pat meat dry and add a little at a time to brown.
• In a separate pan, heat remaining clarified butter. Add onions and lightly brown. Add 2 tablespoons fresh butter, then stir in flour. Cook until lightly browned.
• Add onions to meat and combine well. Add beef stock and stir until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Add Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and bay leaves. Spoon off 1/2 cup of the gravy and reserve. Lay kidney slices on top, followed by mushrooms, then oysters. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with overlapping potato slices. Season again and add back 1/2 cup reserved gravy. Roast in oven for 1 hour, uncovered.
• Remove stew from oven and turn up to broil. Broil hot pot for 2 1/2 minutes to brown. Garnish with parsley.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190ºC/fan170ºC/gas 5. Heat olive oil in a large, wide pan over a medium heat. Dust lamb leg steaks in plain seasoned flour and fry, in batches, until browned. Set aside.
• Add onion to the pan with carrots, and cook for 5 minutes. Return the lamb to the pan with 300ml hot chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Season and remove from the heat.
• Thinly slice potatoes and place half in an overlapping layer in a shallow ovenproof pan. Top with the meat mixture, then layer over the remaining potato and dot with butter. Cover and cook in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown.

TRUE LANCASHIRE HOT POT

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Place potatoes in a saucepan with one inch of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1/2 cup of gravy. Layer half of the meat over the gravy, then sprinkle half of the crumbled bacon. Arrange 1/2 of the sliced onion over the meat, and then half of the potatoes. Repeat layers, and pour remaining gravy over the top.
• Bake, covered, for one hour in the preheated oven. Remove lid, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until potatoes are browned.

TRADITIONAL LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• First trim the lamb of any excess fat and wipe with kitchen paper. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and ¼ oz (5 g) butter until it is very hot, then brown the pieces of lamb two or three at a time until they all have a good brown crust. As they cook, remove them to a wide casserole. Brown the pieces of kidney too, and tuck these in among the meat. Next, fry the onions - add ¼ oz (5 g) butter to the pan if you need any extra fat - cooking them for about 10 minutes till they turn brown at the edges. Now stir in the flour to soak up the juices, then gradually add the hot water and Worcestershire sauce, stirring or whisking until flour and liquid are smoothly blended. Season with salt and pepper and bring it up to simmering point, then pour it over the meat in the casserole. Add the bay leaf and thyme, then arrange the potato slices on top, in an overlapping pattern like slates on a roof. Season the potatoes and add a few flecks of butter here and there. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook near the top of the oven for 1½ hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further 50 minutes.I sometimes finish off the hotpot under the grill. If you brush the potatoes with a little more butter and place the casserole under a hot grill they crisp up and brown beautifully. Alternatively, if you think they're not browning enough during cooking, you can turn the heat in the oven right up during the last 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs before serving.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
• Heat some dripping or butter in a large shallow casserole dish, brown the lamb in batches, lift to a plate, then repeat with the kidneys.
• Fry the onions and carrots in the pan with a little more dripping until golden. Sprinkle over the flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over the Worcestershire sauce, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Stir in the meat and bay leaves, then turn off the heat.
• Arrange the sliced potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with a little more dripping. Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked.
• Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more dripping, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes, or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Set an oven to 180˚C.
• Grease a 22cm ovenproof casserole. Coat the diced meat in the seasoned flour, and shake off any excess.
• Put a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pot, using some of the smaller bits (keep the nice even-sized round ones for the topping). Add some more slices around the edge to line the sides a bit.
• Next, layer up your hotpot like this: seasoning and thyme, half the mutton, half the onion, half the carrots, bay leaves, half the kidneys, seasoning and thyme, rest of the mutton, rest of the veg, rest of the kidneys.
• Finally, arrange more potato discs on top in an overlapping circle. Brush with melted butter, season again, cover and place in the oven for 2.5 hours. After the main cooking time, remove the lid, and cook in the oven for a further 30 mins to crisp the top layer of potatoes.
• Serve piping hot. This dish does not need an accompaniment.