CarolCooks2…in my kitchen…Traditional Lancashire Hotpot…

 

The Potato…comes in all sizes and colours from purple, yellow, white and reds…The Potato is healthy it’s how you cook it and what you put in it or on it which can play havoc with your health and your waistline…

Today as September is National Potato Month…I am getting in one more post as it seems around the world the potato is very much loved and eaten in many ways…then I thought why not just do one potato dish a week as they are so popular so starting with sliced potatoes... it is a family favourite and one I grew on …a Lancashire Hotpot...which is generally cooked using lamb/mutton and topped with sliced potatoes…it was popular with the workers when the Lancashire cotton industry was at its peak as it could be put on a very low heat and would ready when the weary workers came home after a hard days work…

The lamb/mutton so tender and melting with the potatoes crispy on top and cooked in lovely meat juices the taste is out of this world…and would you believe that Oysters were so cheap and plentiful that they were often added to the dish to bulk it out and make it go further.

Lancashire Hotpot…although my mother didn’t come from Lancashire she made the best Lancashire Hotpot in my eyes…she used what she called scrag of lamb and we all know that when meat cooked on the bone you can’t beat the taste although in her later years she used to dice a boned shoulder of lamb which is what I do… all lamb is imported here and choice is limited to shoulder, leg and lamb shanks but because it is imported I buy it very very rarely…but we enjoy it all the more when we do cook it..you can, of course, use beef I just don’t think the potatoes have that same lovely taste as when they are cooked with the lamb.

Ingredients:

  • 1¼ lb lamb, diced (neck, shoulder, chops)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups hot chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
  • 1½ lb potatoes, peeled and cut into ⅛-inch thick slices
  • 2 tbsp melted butter (for the top)
  • 1-2 fresh thyme sprigs.

Let’s Cook!

Preheat the oven to 350F/170C.

In a dutch oven/casserole on medium heat melt the butter and vegetable oil until heated through 1-2 minutes add the onions and cook for 4 mins stirring regularly.

Add the lamb it was here where my mother used to add lambs kidneys however I cannot get them here then add the flour and cook for 3 minutes stirring.

Add the broth, bay leaves, salt, pepper, thyme sprigs and Worcestershire sauce and stir well to combine.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes then add the carrots and stir well.

Transfer the content to a suitable sized casserole dish and garnish with the sliced potatoes. depending on the shape of your dish you can start on the outside and work towards the centre or just layer the potatoes in lines down the dish.

Brush the tops of the potatoes with the melted butter and if required sprinkle with some fresh thyme or rosemary.

Bake for 1 hr 30 minutes and then increase the oven temperature to 390F/200C remove the lid and bake again for 20-530 minutes until the potatoes are golden and crisp.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes and then serve.

If you are using a slow cooker then I add my carrots with broth and then cook for a few hours until the meat is tender I then add the potato slices and transfer the dish to the oven to brown.

What is your favourite potato dish using sliced potatoes?

Enjoy!….xx

 

45 thoughts on “CarolCooks2…in my kitchen…Traditional Lancashire Hotpot…”

  1. Pingback: CarolCooks2…when its cold outside a #Lancashire Hotpot is like a hug! | Retired? No one told me!

  2. Pingback: Making A Lancashire Hotpot! Here’s The Recipe For this Traditional English Meal! – Bite! Eat! Repeat!

  3. Pingback: Making A Lancashire Hotpot! Here’s The Recipe For this Traditional English Meal! – johnrieber

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      It is very tasty, Robbie a dish my mother and grandmother used to make I’m sure you will all love it 🙂 x I hope Michael is much improved now and his test results were good x

      Liked by 1 person

      1. robbiesinspiration

        Hi Carol, Michael has been very sick again with another infection. He has a benign tumour in his sinuses [in the membrane], so the feedback wasn’t great. Only the sinus biopsy result was back so we are still waiting for the other test results which we’ll get next week Tuesday when we see the doctor again. Thanks for asking. How is your daughter doing?

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…September 26th-October 2nd 2021…Environmental A-Z, Hasselback Potatoes, Lancashire Hotpot, Radon, Cardiovascular Disease, Music and Brighton Pier… | Retired? No one told me!

  11. acflory

    Growing up with Hungarian cuisine, I didn’t really ‘discover’ lamb until I was an adult and had rack of lamb at a restaurant. I feel in love with rack of lamb, but I’ve never really been into the rest of the beast all that much. Potatoes though….mmm. 🙂 My Mum made a scalloped potato dish that the Offspring and I happily eat as a main course. Thin slices of potato, oodles of cream, slices of hard boiled egg and a generous sprinkle of salt. Into the oven and an hour later it’s done. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  13. johnrieber

    Carol, you probably have seen the many times I have shared my potato dish from Chex L’Ami Louis restaurant in Paris…an upside down potato cake with caramelized garlic and fresh garlic at the end to top it…potatoes are a vessel for all sorts f greatness – this is a terrific recipe!

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I have , John and it looks delicious I will make it one day I keep saying that maybe it will be my xmas dish I always try to make at least one new dish for xmas dinner…The hotpot is great comfort food and one pot cooking once its prepared x

      Liked by 1 person

  16. beetleypete

    Probably because we lived in London, my mum called this simply ‘Hotpot’ when she made it. I didn’t realise it was associated with Lancashire until my first trip to that county in the 1970s.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Chris Hall

    My grandmother, a fine Lancashire woman, taught me how to make her version of Lancashire Hotpot. I reproduced the recipe for a competition in South Africa’s Sunday Times a few years ago, she’d have been so pleased to know it had been published.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Chris Hall

        Pretty close, Carol! Grandma Atkins would have approved, although she would have used cheaper cuts of mutton and bulked out the dish with more potatoes added at the same time as the stock, as well using them for the topping.

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Pingback: CarolCooks2…in my kitchen…Traditional Lancashire Hotpot… – MobsterTiger

  20. Clive

    One of my favourites since childhood. Like yours, my mum used to put it on a low heat so as to be ready when we all got home in the evening, and the smell wafting round the house was great to come home to 😊 x

    Liked by 2 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Yes..I used to cook it all day when I worked in the slow cooker. I prefer it cooked low and slow but if you use shoulder and dice it small it does cook quicker everyone wants quick now 🙂 I hope you are keeping well ..guessing not long now until baby comes x

      Liked by 2 people

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