Emilie Meyer
Lamb hotpot is a delicious, traditional dish that's perfect for family meals. The key to a great lamb hotpot is tender, slow-cooked lamb and crispy potatoes on top. While there are many variations, the classic recipe starts with browning the lamb, then softening onions and carrots in the same pan. Next, add flour, stock, and seasonings like bay leaves, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer to an oven dish, top with thinly sliced potatoes, and bake until the potatoes are golden. For an authentic touch, use a wide, shallow dish to ensure a crispy topping, and serve with green vegetables or gravy on the side.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Meat | Lamb neck, shoulder, leg, or ready-diced lamb |
| Meat preparation | Brown the meat in a pan with oil |
| Vegetables | Onion, carrot, lamb kidneys |
| Vegetable preparation | Fry the vegetables in a pan with oil or butter until soft and golden |
| Sauce | Stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, flour, Worcestershire sauce, redcurrant jelly |
| Potato preparation | Boil potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes until par-boiled, slice thinly (2-3mm thick), layer over the top of the stew |
| Cooking method | Cook in a covered casserole dish in the oven at 160-180°C/140°C fan for 1-1.5 hours, then uncover and cook for an additional 30 minutes at a higher temperature (200-240°C) |
| Serving suggestion | Serve with green vegetables |
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What You'll Learn
Browning the lamb
Firstly, choose a suitable pan for browning the meat. A heavy-based pan or a cast-iron casserole dish that can go in the oven is ideal. You want to use a pan that will retain heat evenly and prevent the meat from sticking.
Next, heat a small amount of oil in the pan over medium-high heat. You want the pan to be nice and hot before adding the lamb to ensure a good sear. Rapeseed oil or any other type of cooking oil with a high smoke point is a good choice.
Once the pan is hot, carefully add the lamb to the pan. It is best to work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which can cause the meat to steam instead of brown. Add the lamb pieces in a single layer and give them some space between each piece.
Let the lamb cook undisturbed for a few minutes. You want to sear the meat and achieve a nice brown crust. Depending on the size of your lamb pieces, this should take about 3-4 minutes per side.
Using tongs or a spatula, turn the lamb pieces over and brown the other side. Continue this process until all sides of the lamb are nicely browned. If you are using diced lamb, be sure to turn each piece over to get an even colour.
Once the lamb is browned to your liking, remove it from the pan and set it aside on a plate or bowl. Keep the lamb warm while you continue with the next steps of your hot pot recipe, such as softening onions and carrots in the same pan.
Remember, browning the lamb is a crucial step in building flavour for your hot pot. Take your time and ensure the lamb is nicely seared before moving on to the next steps of your recipe.
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Preparing the potatoes
Once sliced, parboil the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for around 15 minutes, or until they are par-boiled. Drain the potatoes and let them steam dry and cool down. This step helps to ensure that the potatoes are fully cooked and helps to create a nice crispy texture when they are baked in the oven. While the potatoes are cooling, you can prepare the lamb and vegetables for the hot pot, following your chosen recipe.
When you are ready to assemble the hot pot, layer the potatoes over the meat and vegetables in your chosen dish. Take your time with this step to create a beautiful, even layer that completely covers the meat. You can brush the potatoes with a little melted butter or dripping, and sprinkle with dried thyme for extra flavour. Cover the dish with a layer of baking parchment and foil, and place in the oven.
For the initial baking, a lower temperature of around 160-180°C is usually recommended, to ensure the potatoes cook through without burning. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the weight, foil, and parchment paper. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C and return the dish to the oven for a further 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned and crisp.
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Cooking the vegetables
To cook the vegetables for a lamb hot pot, start by frying off some diced lamb in a hot pan. Remove the lamb, then soften the onions in the same pan. You can also add sliced carrots at this stage and cook until tender. Fry the vegetables in a little butter or oil until golden. Sprinkle over some flour and allow to cook for a few minutes before adding the stock.
Stir in the lamb and any herbs and seasoning, then turn off the heat. You can also add some redcurrant jelly at this stage for a fruity flavour. If you are using a slow cooker, you can add the vegetables and meat to the pot at the same time and cook on a low heat until the potatoes are added.
For the potatoes, peel and slice them to around 2-3mm thick. You can parboil them first, or add them raw. Layer the potatoes over the top of the stew, taking your time to ensure the meat is totally covered. Cover with a layer of baking parchment and foil, and place in the oven.
After 30 minutes, remove the weight, foil and parchment and return to the oven to brown the potatoes and reduce the sauce. The potatoes should be browned and crisp, and the hotpot should be piping hot throughout.
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Making the gravy
To make the gravy for a lamb hotpot, you'll first want to brown the meat. To do this, heat a heavy-based pan over a high heat and add some oil. Then, add your lamb and brown it in batches until it is a deep colour. Set the meat aside. Pour some wine into the pan to deglaze it, scraping up the meaty bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
Next, add some more oil to the pan and add your chopped onions. Cook the onions for around 25 minutes until they are well softened. You can add some herbs halfway through. Once the onions are soft, stir in some flour and cook for another minute. Then, transfer the meat back to the pan and add some stock. Cover the pan with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, stir in some redcurrant jelly and season with salt and pepper. You can also add some Worcestershire sauce to taste. If you want a thicker gravy, mix a little cornflour with cold water and stir it through the sauce.
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Oven temperature and timing
Once preheated, place your lamb hotpot in the oven and cook for about 1 hour. After an hour, remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 200°C/400°F (fan). Cook for another 30 minutes until the potatoes are browned and crisp.
The total cooking time in the oven is about 1 hour and 30 minutes. However, if you prefer your potatoes extra crispy, you can cook them for an additional 5-30 minutes without the lid.
If you're cooking for a crowd and have doubled the recipe, add an extra 30 minutes to the initial cooking time, so 1 hour and 30 minutes, before removing the lid and increasing the temperature.
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Frequently asked questions
You want the lamb to have a little fat. Diced lamb neck is perfect as it has little streaks of fat running through it. Diced lamb shoulder or leg will also work.
This depends on your oven. If you have a fan oven, cook at 160°C/140°C/gas mark 4. If not, cook at 180°C/gas mark 4.
This depends on the quantity you are making. For a standard quantity, cook for 1 hour at the temperature above, then turn up the oven to 200°C/400°F and cook for a further 30 minutes.
