Lancashire hotpot

June 2020

Main course, serves 4. The preparation time is approximately 25 minutes (plus 1½ hours in the oven).

• 800 grams of lamb
• 2 onions
• 1 tablespoon of butter (+ a little more melted)
• 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
• 1 full tablespoon of patent flour
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 5 dl of warm meat stock
• 700 grams of potatoes
• Salt, pepper
• 2 large carrots
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 170° C.
Cut the lamb into cubes and the onion into thin rings. Heat the butter and oil in an ovenproof casserole. Fry the lamb on a high heat for about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the onion rings to the pan. Fry gently for 3 minutes. Put the meat back with the onion. Add the flour and stir well. Add the stock. Bring to the boil and stir until the sauce is smooth. Add the bay leaves and a generous dash of Worcestershire sauce. Season well with salt and pepper. Cover the pan (with a lid or aluminium foil) and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the carrots into cubes and the potato into thin 2 mm slices.
Remove the stew from the oven. Place it into an oven dish. Add the carrot cubes and stir. Now cover with an overlapping layer of the potato slices, arranged from the outside to the inside. Brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and place in the oven at 170°C covered with aluminium foil for another hour. Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 200°C and bake for another 30 minutes until the potatoes are nicely brown. ●

Ingrid van den Arend, Cook it!

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