Marjorie Openshaw's winning
Lancashire Hotpot recipe
Serves 4
2.5 lb potatoes
2 onions
8 very thinly prepared best end of neck lamb chops. Ask the butcher to trim the chops
neatly and use the trimmings to make the stock.
For the stock:
Meat trimmings from the lamb chops
Half a pint of water
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
A little chopped celery
To make the stock Put all the ingredients together and simmer gently for half an hour.
Strain the stock and allow it to go cold. Remove the fat from the top and set aside.
To make the hotpot Peel the potatoes and cut into medium sized chunks reserving one large
potato to be cut into thin slices. Slice the onions and chop them finely.
Layer the ingredients into an earthenware lidded hotpot dish, beginning with potatoes,
then onions, four chops, onions again, the remaining chops, onions again, potatoes and
finally a layer of sliced potatoes overlapping on top.
Reheat the stock (minus the fat) with a little extra water and pour over the hotpot until
you can just see the liquid coming up between the potatoes.
Grease the inside of the lid with the set aside fat and place on top.
Place in an oven preheated to 190 C, 375 F, Regulo 5 for half an hour. Reduce the heat to
175 C, 325 F, Regulo 3 gas for a further one and a quarter hours. Remove the lid. Increase
the heat to 200 C, 400 F, Regulo 6 for 15 minutes to brown the potatoes.
Garnish with a little chopped parsley and serve. |
