Traditional Lancashire Hotpot

[Ruhi_Rose]

 


This is a remarkable dish.  It’s low in calories, yet wholesome, requires the minimal of fuss and makes a delicious warm dinner.  Ideal to cook on week day after returning home from work. 


Ingredients:
1 kg lamb chops, trimmed
1 tbsp cooking oil (canola/corn/sunflower)
2 medium sized onions, cut into wedges
1 tbsp flour
570 ml hot water
half tsp Wocestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
3-4 potatoes cut into 2 cm slices
Garlic and ginger paste to season
Salt and ground pepper to season


Method of Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325F or 170C.

Heat oil in frying pan till hot.  Fry the lamb chops till quite brown.  Then put them in a wide casserole. 

Fry the onions, adding a little more oil to the pan, for about 10 minutes till they turn brown at the edges.  Stir in the flour to soak up the juices and gradually add the hot water and Worcestershire sauce, stirring or whisking until the flour and liquid are smoothly blended.  Season with salt and pepper, garlic and ginger paste, and bring it up to simmering point. Pour it over the meat in the casserole.

Then, add the bay leaf and thyme, arrange the potato slices on top in an overlapping pattern. Season the potatoes and brush with oil over the surface.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 1½ hours. You can remove the lid and brush the potatoes with a little more oil, then place under the grill to crisp up if you would like. Otherwise, you can turn the heat up during the last 15 minutes of cooking time in the oven and remove the lid. Remove the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme before serving.

Tastes great with salad or boiled winter vegetables and dinner rolls.

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Remember, you can add your own variations.  The traditional Lancashire Hotpot in England also contains chopped & fried lamb kidneys.  However, I prefer it without that.  While frying the chops and onions, you can use some more seasoning e.g. pinch of all spice and cumin powder, and pinch of chilli powder.  Also, to save baking time, the lamb chops can be boiled for 1 hour till half tender, then fried and arranged in the casserole followed by the rest of the steps mentioned.

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[Zainab_M]

This is one of my favourite dinner table delights!  To put it simply, Lancashire hotpot is a cosy countryside, cabin-house dish.  Instead of lamb chops & kidneys, they sometimes also use lamb chops & minced veal.  and beef stock (or yakhni) is poured over the lamb and mince mixture.  but i too prefer just lamb, otherwise it gets too 'meaty.'  However, i don't necessarily use chops.  i have also made this dish with regular lamb pieces.  pieces from leg of lamb is best, with minimal of bones.

Thanks for putting this up sister.   

[Heba E. Husseyn]

how about adding a layer of sliced fresh tomatoes in between the meat and potatoes?    :