Joe's Lamb and Vegetable Hot Pot

Mon, 22 October 2018

Ingredients:

500g Diced Stewing Lamb

4 tsp plain flour

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 medium onions, halved lengthways and thinly sliced

3 carrots, halved lengthways and cut into bite-sized chunks

½ a  swede, cut into bite-sized chunks

3 thyme sprigs, plus extra leaves to garnish

2 bay leaves

200ml chicken stock,

1½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

750g potato, very thinly sliced

 

Method:

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

 

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 pan.

 

Put the onions, carrots, swede, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in the pan and season with salt and 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  casserole dish.

 

Lay half the lamb over the potatoes, then spoon half the vegetable mix over the meat. Season with salt and 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 salt and 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.