Friday, February 10, 2012

Lancashire Hot Pot - the ultimate comfort food

Most children who grow up in Lancashire have fond memories of this special dish and debate rages as to whether it should contain carrots or not. I am firmly on the side of carrots as this is a peasant dish and would think that hungry mill workers , farmers and the like would make their lamb stretch as far as they possible could.
The same goes for my dish, I am using some wonderful local lamb from Spout House Farm up the road in Wheelton, but a frugal cut - hotpot chops, these are great value and yes they do contain bone but also a good chunk of meat too. Slow cooked they will provide a wonderful lamby flavour to the whole dish.Slow cooking means you can use a cheaper cook of meat but still come home to a soft yielding casserole, slow cooking is also very frugal too energy wise.


Once cooked it is traditional to serve your Hotpot with lightly pickled beetroot or red cabbage, delicious.

Ingredients
  • Lamb Hot pot chops
  • Onions - chunky chopped
  • Potatoes- peeled and chunky chopped
  • Carrots  peeled and chunky chopped
  • Thyme - fresh or dried - pinch
  • Lamb stock

Method
  • Pre warm your slow cooker
  • Gently sear your lamb chops in a frying pan, add to your slow cooker
  • Fry off your onions, carrots and potatoes in the frying pan, scraping up any dark lamby bits
  • Add to your slow cooker
  • Rinse off your frying pan with lamb stock, bring to a simmer and add to slow cooker, add your thyme at this stage.
  • Cook for a minimum of 6 hours, thicken the stock is you want a thicker result using cornflour.
  • Enjoy



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