Lancashire Lamb Hot Pot

A spoon going into a pot of lancashire stew

5 from 1 vote

A classic Lancashire lamb hot pot recipe: a tender stew of mutton or lamb, kidneys and bacon with vegetables in gravy, topped with potatoes and baked golden brown.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 40

Total Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Lancashire Hot Pot

Servings: Servings

Calories: 323kcal

Author: Alan

Cost: 20

Equipment

large skillet for browning the meat
Dutch oven

Ingredients

Stew

¼ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 large yellow onion (6 oz) diced ½ inch
6 oz carrot 2 medium cut into 1 inch pieces
6 oz 1 medium turnip cut into 1 inch pieces
24 oz lamb or goat shoulder neck, or stewing meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 oz 3 medium lamb or goat kidneys, whole
3 oz lamb or goat bacon optional cut into ½ inch pieces
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 cups lamb stock or water
2 tablespoons all purpose flour or equivalent
Melted lard or cooking oil for browning the meat
¼ cup dry red wine optional
1.5 lbs potato sliced thin
¼ cup rendered lamb fat plus more for drizzling on the potatoes
1 Tablespoon crumbled dried mushrooms
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Season the neck or other meat with 1 teaspoon salt and mix.
In the dutch oven or similar pot you will cook the hot pot in, sweat the onion in 2 tablespoons of the fat with the rosemary and a pinch of salt for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine, cook for a minute more, then turn the heat off and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Brown the stew meat in batches in a large pan-10 inches wide is a good size to start. After each pan of meat is browned, add a ¼ cup of water, quickly scrape the pan and pour the juices and meat into the dutch oven with the onion. Put the browned meat into a pan as you go. After the meat is browned, cook the bacon if using until it’s released its fat and is nearly crisp.
Remove the bacon to the dish with the browned meat and pan juices then brown the kidneys in the bacon fat until golden on both sides. Add the carrot and rutabaga or turnips to the pan and cook on medium-high until browned and almost tender. Remove the kidneys from the pan to cool, then cut into ½ inch pieces.
Add the browned meat and pan juices, along with the cooked vegetables and dried mushrooms if using to the dutch oven with the onions.
Add the wine, worchesterchire and stock, bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat off, top with the sliced potatoes, overlapping them like shingles to give it an attractive design.
Put the lid on the pot and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the lid, increase the heat to 475 F, baste the potatoes with lamb fat, and cook until the potatoes are browned, then serve. It will improve in flavor as it sits.

Notes

Many different cuts of lamb and goat can be used here. Neck meat is great, but shanks and shoulders will work good too.

Nutrition