Lancashire Hotpot

1 tbsp oil 

600g lamb shoulder, cut into chunks of about 4cm 

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Half a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, to season

2 onions, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

2 tbsps plain flour

300ml chicken stock 

800g potatoes, cut into thin slices of about 3mm

150g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

3 tbsp butter

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson’s Relish if, like me, you’re from Sheffield!)

1. Grease a large casserole dish with butter so that the hotpot won’t stick to the sides. Preheat the oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas mark 3.
2. Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan add the lamb, thyme, and salt and pepper. Fry the lamb until it turns brown all over. You might need to do this in batches. Once it’s brown, put the lamb in a separate bowl for the moment. Keep the juices in the pan.
3. In the same frying pan that you used for the lamb, turn up the heat and add another half tablespoon of oil. Once it’s hot, fry the onions and carrots until the onions are soft and turning brown at the edges. 

4. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Fry for 3 minutes longer. 

5. Slowly stir in the stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Turn up the heat and keep cooking until it thickens.

6. Begin to construct the hotpot, layering it up like you would do with a lasagne. Begin with a single layer of thinly sliced potatoes on the bottom. Then add half of the lamb that you cooked earlier. Pour half of the vegetable and stock mixture over this. Add half of the mushrooms. Then, repeat! Finish by layering the rest of the potatoes neatly over the top. Do this top layer of potatoes with tiny cubes of butter that will melt and make the top all crispy!

7. If your casserole dish has a lid, great, put it on. If not, don’t worry, just cover the top in tin foil that has been greased a bit with butter, so that it doesn’t stick to the potatoes. Cook for an hour and a half. 

8. Take it out of the oven, but only so that you can remove the lid/tin foil. Put it back in the oven, and cook for another 30 minutes.

9. Take it out of the oven for good this time! Leave it to rest on the side for about five minutes, and then serve. 

Dish up some cauliflower and peas as a healthy accompaniment!

Though it’s traditionally made with lamb, you could certainly substitute this for beef to make a cheaper meal. If you’re doing this, though, I’d also use a beef stock rather than a chicken one.