Lancashire hotpot recipe
This is a rich, layered lamb or mutton stew crowned with thinly sliced and bronzed potatoes. The term hotpot has, over time, gone on to refer more generally to any meat stew with a top layer of potatoes – but this version, taken from food writer Ben Mervis' The British Cookbook, goes down a more traditional route with lamb cutlets and kidneys.
Ben suggests serving the finished hotpot with pickled red cabbage, but you could pile any veg on the side for a wonderfully warming, comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 50 g (3½ tbsp) butter
- 4 lambs' kidneys, about 250 g/9 oz in total
- 1 sprinkle of plain (all-purpose) flour, for dredging
- 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- 12 lamb (or mutton) cutlets, long bones removed, or one scrag end of neck, cut into large pieces (about 900 g/2 lb)
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 750 g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 400 ml beef stock or water
- 1 drizzle of Worcestershire Sauce, or Yorkshire Relish, to taste (optional), plus extra to serve
- 1 spoonful of pickled red cabbage
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Stew
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 150 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove any membrane from the kidneys, then cut in half and remove the white core using a pair of sharp scissors. Chop the kidneys into small pieces and set aside.
- Spread the flour out on a large plate. Heat the oil in a deep casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Toss the cutlets in the flour, shake off any excess and add to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side, until well-browned.
- Reduce the heat and arrange alternating layers of onions, lamb, kidney and potatoes, seasoning frequently.
- Pour in stock or water to come about four-fifths of the way up the pot, add Worcestershire Sauce to taste (if using), then finish with a layer of potatoes. Brush with the melted butter and cook in the oven for 2-2½ hours until the meat is tender. If the potatoes begin to brown too much, cover with a lid or aluminium foil. Serve with pickled red cabbage and Worcestershire Sauce or Yorkshire Relish.
Recipe extracted from The British Cookbook by Ben Mervis (Phaidon, £39.95). Photography by Sam A. Harris.
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