recipes
Lancashire hot pot
Serves 4.
ingredients
900g (2lb) middle neck of lamb
3 tbsp flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1tsp fresh thyme leaves
600g (1lb) 5oz potatoes (King Edward or Maris Piper work well), peeled and thinly sliced
600ml (1 pint) well-flavoured lamb stock
55g (2oz) butter
freshly chopped parsley to garnish
method
Preheat oven 190ºC/375ºF/Gas 5. Ask your butcher to fillet the lamb for you and keep the bones to make some good lamb stock.
Grease a hot pot dish or Casserole Dish with a little of the butter. Trim the lamb of any excess fat and cut it into reasonably large bite-sized pieces. Season the flour with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and coat the lamb pieces (the easiest way to do this is by putting both into a plastic bag and giving everything a good shake).
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the lamb until golden brown all over. Remove from the pan, give it a wipe round and then add a little more oil and sauté the vegetables lightly for 3-4 minutes. Place half of the potatoes in a layer at the bottom of the dish, followed by a layer of vegetables and then a layer of meat, adding a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves between each layer. Repeat the layers and top with the remaining potatoes, overlapping them in concentric circles.
Pour in the stock and dot the potatoes with butter here and there. Cover with foil and bake for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
Remove the foil and cook for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are golden and crisp. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.