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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Lancashire Hotpot




Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces chopped onion
1 1/2 pounds cubed leg of lamb or beef
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Carrots and Celery cut into large pieces
Tomato paste
Crushed garlic
Any root vegetable that will hold up to a couple of hours of cooking.
Bay leaf
1 ounce butter
2 cups chicken or lamb stock or just plain water.

Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté onion until soft and deep golden in color. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add lamb to skillet and fry (in batches if necessary) until rich chestnut brown in color, 12 to 15 minutes. Then add all the vegetables cut into large pieces. Cook until all flavors are combined then add the garlic , bay leaf and thyme.
Add a couple of spoons of tomato paste and cook until the meat and veggies have a deep chestnut color. Add a little flour to thicken and then add the stock. Cook this for a half hour or so to get the dish started and the add the potatoes sliced nice and thick in a layer over the whole thing. Brush with some melted butter and finish in the oven.
It’s important to make your sauce a little shorter than usual. In other words just make enough to cover the meat so that the potatoes don’t get lost. You can get a golden brown potato by brushing them from time to time with a little melted butter.

If it is going too fast turn the heat down and cover with foil. If you keep your eye on it , it will be fine.
I added a little ale to this before adding the potatoes. Let sit for a half hour before serving. This is a great dish.

1 comment:

Terry Walsh said...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm................