The Ultimate Guide To Creating A Hearty British Hot Pot

Lancashire hotpot is a traditional British dish that has been around for nearly 200 years. It is a simple lamb or beef stew, topped with sliced potatoes, that is slow-baked in a pot at a low heat. The dish is thought to have originated in the North of England during the cotton industry in the 19th century and was likely left to cook slowly throughout the day, ready to be eaten by cotton workers after their shift.

Layer sliced potatoes on top

Layering sliced potatoes on top of your British hot pot is a crucial step in achieving the perfect, classic crispy finish. Here's a detailed guide on how to do it:

Firstly, it's important to thinly slice your potatoes. They should be around 2-3mm thick. This ensures they cook thoroughly and achieve that desired crispiness on top. Peel the potatoes and use a sharp knife or a mandolin to cut them. A mandolin can be especially useful if you want evenly thin slices, but it's not necessary.

Next, arrange the potatoes on top of the meat and vegetables in your casserole dish. Start from the outside and layer the potatoes, moving towards the centre. The potatoes should overlap each other, covering the entire dish. This technique will create a beautiful crispy top while keeping the potatoes underneath soft and tender.

Once you're happy with the arrangement, brush the potatoes with a little melted butter or dripping. This will add a delicious golden colour and flavour to your potatoes. Then, sprinkle on some dried thyme for extra flavour.

At this point, your British hot pot is almost ready for the oven. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and place it in the preheated oven. The cooking time will vary depending on your recipe, but it usually takes around 1 hour for the potatoes to cook through.

Finally, remove the lid or foil and increase the oven temperature to 200°C/400°F (fan) for the last 30 minutes of cooking. This step is crucial for achieving the perfect crispiness. Keep an eye on your hot pot during this time, as you don't want the potatoes to burn.

And that's it! By following these steps, you'll have a beautiful, crispy potato topping on your British hot pot.

Use lamb or mutton

If you want to make a traditional Lancashire hotpot, you should use mutton or lamb. This is a British classic recipe for a lamb or mutton stew featuring kidneys and oysters topped with golden scalloped potatoes. The meat is often bulked out with oysters, which were very cheap in the 19th century.

The traditional Lancashire hotpot is thought to have originated during the cotton industry in the 19th century. It would have been left to cook slowly all day, ready for cotton workers at the end of their shift. It was probably more likely to have been made with mutton in those days, and would have been cooked with a lamb bone left in the dish for added flavour.

If you are using mutton, you should cook it under foil for an additional 30 minutes. Mutton has a lower water content and a higher fat content, which means more flavour.

If you are using lamb, you should look for a cut with a little fat. Fat (not gristle) helps to give the hotpot lots of flavour. Diced lamb neck is perfect, as it has little streaks of fat running through it. Diced lamb shoulder or leg will also work.

Fry onions and carrots

To fry the onions and carrots, start by heating a little oil or butter in a large, shallow casserole dish. You can use vegetable oil, butter, or dripping. Fry the onions for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly, until they are soft and lightly browned. Then, add the carrots and continue frying until they are golden. This should take around 2-3 minutes for the onions and another minute for the carrots.

If you are making a Lancashire hot pot, you can add the lamb back into the pan at this stage, along with some flour, before pouring in the stock. However, if you are making a beef hot pot, you will need to add the flour after frying the onions and carrots, and cook for another 2 minutes before gradually adding the red wine.

It is important to keep stirring the ingredients while frying to ensure even cooking and prevent burning. You may also need to fry the meat and vegetables in batches, depending on the size of your pan.

Bake at a low heat

When it comes to baking your British hot pot, the key is to bake it slowly at a low heat. This is a dish that was traditionally left to cook slowly for hours, so don't rush it!

Preheat your oven to around 160-170°C. You want to aim for a low heat to slowly cook the hot pot, allowing the flavours to develop and the meat to become meltingly tender.

Place your assembled hot pot in the oven and bake for approximately 1½ hours. The exact cooking time will depend on your oven and the size of your dish, but you're looking for the potatoes to be cooked through.

After the initial bake, you may want to remove the lid or foil and turn up the heat to brown the potatoes and make them crispy on top. This will take around 20-30 minutes at 200°C. Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn't burn.

If you're short on time, you can finish the dish under the grill for 5-8 minutes to get that golden, crispy topping.

And that's it! Your British hot pot is ready to serve. This hearty, comforting dish is perfect for a cold winter's night and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Add stock or water

The amount of stock or water you add to your hot pot will depend on how much you're making, and whether you're making a Lancashire hot pot or a beef hot pot.

For a Lancashire hot pot, you'll need 2 cups of chicken or lamb stock, or sometimes water. If you're making a larger batch, you'll need to adjust the amount of stock or water accordingly. The stock is added after layering the meat, onions, and potatoes in a baking dish.

For a beef hot pot, you'll need 400ml of fresh beef stock. This is added after layering the beef, onions, and carrots in a casserole dish.

It's important to note that the stock or water should not completely cover the ingredients in the dish. The idea is that the liquid adds moisture and flavour to the dish as it bakes slowly.

If you find that your hot pot is drying out while cooking, you can always add more stock or water as needed.

Frequently asked questions