Vegetarian Lancashire Hotpot 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.

LIGHTER LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cut the lamb into chunky 5-6cm pieces. Tip the flour onto a large plate, season with pepper and a little salt, and toss the lamb in the flour to coat evenly and completely. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large, deep frying or sauté pan. Put the onions, carrots, swede, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in the pan and season with pepper. Cook on a medium-high heat for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick, until the vegetables start to go brown around the edges - the bottom of the pan should be slightly brown and caramelised too. Pour in the stock; it should sizzle then bubble in the pan. Immediately remove the pan from the heat so the stock does not reduce in volume. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
• Overlap a single layer of the potato slices in the bottom of a 2-litre casserole dish (about 20cm diameter x 10cm deep). Lay half the lamb over the potatoes, then spoon half the vegetable mix over the meat. Season with pepper. Sit the rest of the lamb on top, then tip the rest of the vegetables, herbs and all the liquid over the lamb. Press down with the back of a spoon, if necessary, to make room for the remaining potatoes. Start to layer up the potato slices in 3 tightly overlapping layers, seasoning each layer with pepper and brushing with oil as you go - save a bit of oil for the top layer. Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 10 mins.
• Reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Cook for a further 2 hrs until the lamb is really tender and the potatoes are cooked. Take the lid off and pop under the grill for 8-10 mins until the potatoes are golden and crisp around the edges. Remove and let the hotpot settle for 5-10 mins, then serve scattered with thyme leaves.