Lighter Lancashire Hotpot Recipes

LANCASHIRE HOT POT

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute 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. Drain fat and reserve.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Spread 1/2 of the potatoes in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place browned lamb and onions on top, then sprinkle with thyme and season to taste. Cover with remaining potatoes, season to taste and dot with butter. Pour stock over all.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Note: If casserole is drying out while cooking, add more stock as needed. If casserole is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.

LIGHTER LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cut the lamb into chunky 5-6cm pieces. Tip the flour onto a large plate, season with pepper and a little salt, and toss the lamb in the flour to coat evenly and completely. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large, deep frying or sauté pan. Put the onions, carrots, swede, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in the pan and season with pepper. Cook on a medium-high heat for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick, until the vegetables start to go brown around the edges - the bottom of the pan should be slightly brown and caramelised too. Pour in the stock; it should sizzle then bubble in the pan. Immediately remove the pan from the heat so the stock does not reduce in volume. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
• Overlap a single layer of the potato slices in the bottom of a 2-litre casserole dish (about 20cm diameter x 10cm deep). Lay half the lamb over the potatoes, then spoon half the vegetable mix over the meat. Season with pepper. Sit the rest of the lamb on top, then tip the rest of the vegetables, herbs and all the liquid over the lamb. Press down with the back of a spoon, if necessary, to make room for the remaining potatoes. Start to layer up the potato slices in 3 tightly overlapping layers, seasoning each layer with pepper and brushing with oil as you go - save a bit of oil for the top layer. Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 10 mins.
• Reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Cook for a further 2 hrs until the lamb is really tender and the potatoes are cooked. Take the lid off and pop under the grill for 8-10 mins until the potatoes are golden and crisp around the edges. Remove and let the hotpot settle for 5-10 mins, then serve scattered with thyme leaves.

EASY LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 F/180 C and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Check from time to time to make sure the casserole isn't drying out; if so, add some stock or water. Remove the lid from the casserole and cook until the potatoes on the surface are brown.
• Remove the hotpot from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy.

TRADITIONAL LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• First trim the lamb of any excess fat and wipe with kitchen paper. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and ¼ oz (5 g) butter until it is very hot, then brown the pieces of lamb two or three at a time until they all have a good brown crust. As they cook, remove them to a wide casserole. Brown the pieces of kidney too, and tuck these in among the meat. Next, fry the onions - add ¼ oz (5 g) butter to the pan if you need any extra fat - cooking them for about 10 minutes till they turn brown at the edges. Now stir in the flour to soak up the juices, then gradually add the hot water and Worcestershire sauce, stirring or whisking until flour and liquid are smoothly blended. Season with salt and pepper and bring it up to simmering point, then pour it over the meat in the casserole. Add the bay leaf and thyme, then arrange the potato slices on top, in an overlapping pattern like slates on a roof. Season the potatoes and add a few flecks of butter here and there. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook near the top of the oven for 1½ hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further 50 minutes.I sometimes finish off the hotpot under the grill. If you brush the potatoes with a little more butter and place the casserole under a hot grill they crisp up and brown beautifully. Alternatively, if you think they're not browning enough during cooking, you can turn the heat in the oven right up during the last 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs before serving.

LANCASHIRE HOT POT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter in large overproof pan. Pat meat dry and add a little at a time to brown.
• In a separate pan, heat remaining clarified butter. Add onions and lightly brown. Add 2 tablespoons fresh butter, then stir in flour. Cook until lightly browned.
• Add onions to meat and combine well. Add beef stock and stir until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Add Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and bay leaves. Spoon off 1/2 cup of the gravy and reserve. Lay kidney slices on top, followed by mushrooms, then oysters. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with overlapping potato slices. Season again and add back 1/2 cup reserved gravy. Roast in oven for 1 hour, uncovered.
• Remove stew from oven and turn up to broil. Broil hot pot for 2 1/2 minutes to brown. Garnish with parsley.

LIGHTER LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in the casserole/pan over a medium-high heat Brown the lamb all over in 2-3 batches, then set aside.
• Heat the oven to 160ºC fan/ gas 4. Turn the heat to low-medium, add the rest of the oil and fry the onions for 8-10 minutes, covered with a lid, until lightly golden, stirring now and again. Remove the lid and add the mushrooms, celery, chopped carrots, flour and some salt and pepper. Mix well, turn the heat up slightly and fry, stirring, for 5-6 minutes until all the veg have softened.
• Add the seaweed (or Worcestershire sauce) and herbs with the browned lamb and stock. Stir together, then top with the potatoes and remaining carrots and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 1½ hours. Remove the lid, turn the oven down to 140ºC fan/gas 3 and cook for another 1-1½ hours until the lamb is tender.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put about a tablespoon of butter in a deep heavy casserole. Arrange a layer of potatoes on the bottom. Arrange three chops on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Layer with kidneys, mushrooms, onions and more potatoes. Add another layer of chops, and remaining kidneys and vegetables, finishing with a layer of overlapping potatoes.
• Add the water and bake for half an hour; turn heat down to 300 for an hour. Remove lid, and cook another 30 minutes uncovered so that the potatoes brown. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.