Highland Hot Pot Recipes

BEEF & ALE STEW

Steps:

• If using the oven to cook the stew, preheat it to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
• Put a large shallow ovenproof casserole pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil.
• Trim the celery, wash the carrots, peel the onions, then roughly chop it all about the same size as your beef chunks, adding the veg to the pan as you go.
• Season the veg with sea salt and black pepper, and fry for 10 minutes, or until softened and starting to caramelise, stirring occasionally.
• Strip in the rosemary leaves, stir in the flour for 2 minutes, then pour in the booze and let it cook away.
• Pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of the spoon. Fill the tin with water, swirl around, and pour into the pan.
• Bring just to the boil, then stir in the meat, season, and cover. Either simmer slowly on the hob or place in the oven for 2 hours, or until the meat falls apart easily.
• Taste the stew and tweak the seasoning, if needed, then serve with rice or mashed potato, and some lovely veggies, or check out the topping ideas below.

HOTCH POTCH FROM SCOTLAND

Steps:

• Before going to bed soak the barley in water. It doesn't really matter what the temperature of the water is but I prefer to set the barley in boiling water.
• The next day place the beef in a saucepan, cover with cold water add the salt and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about an hour. Whilst the meat is cooking chop up the carrots and turnip into small cubes. Also chop the onion, leeks and cabbage (or kale) finely. Add the soaked barley to the boiling mutton or beef and then add the prepared vegetables and allow the mixture to simmer for a further hour. If the level of the liquid should fall too low add extra boiling water
• Fifteen minutes before the end of the second hour add the chopped fresh parsley together with a little freshly ground black pepper.
• The broth can be served straight away but tastes even better upon re-heating the next day so never make small quantities of Hotch Potch, always plan on two days worth. It is said that in some households the broth pot is constantly on the stove and is merely added to as required. Personally I prefer my broth during the winter months only but that is perhaps just a modern taste.
• Note: You still need to soak the barley but you can certainly do this in a crockpot these days. The above is Ms. Mary's writings and she vascillates between mutton and beef when she writes cause she knew I did not like mutton, bless her heart.
• Just for your entertainment... Hotch Potch or Hot Pot was recorded at it's earliest in the 17th century and it had remained just as popular when I was there. However, a lot of places had kind of come up with their own versions such as Scotch broth and Lancashire hot pot. But it was a stick to your ribs dinner back in the day and still to this day it is satisfying.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
• Heat a little of the 100g dripping or butter in a large shallow casserole dish and brown 900g stewing lamb chunks in batches, lift to a plate, then repeat with 3 trimmed and sliced lamb kidneys.
• Fry 2 chopped onions and 4 peeled and sliced carrots in the pan with a little more dripping until golden.
• Sprinkle over 25g plain flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, pour in 500ml lamb or chicken stock, then bring to the boil.
• Stir in the stewing lamb and kidneys and 2 bay leaves, then turn off the heat.
• Arrange 900g peeled and sliced potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with a little more dripping.
• Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked.
• Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more dripping, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes, or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.

HIGHLAND HOT POT

Steps:

• Coat beef with flour, salt, pepper, and sage.
• Place in crock pot.
• Add remaining ingredients and cook on low until beef is tender.
• This can also be done in a casserole for 1 1/2 hours at 350°F.

TRADITIONAL LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• First trim the lamb of any excess fat and wipe with kitchen paper. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and ¼ oz (5 g) butter until it is very hot, then brown the pieces of lamb two or three at a time until they all have a good brown crust. As they cook, remove them to a wide casserole. Brown the pieces of kidney too, and tuck these in among the meat. Next, fry the onions - add ¼ oz (5 g) butter to the pan if you need any extra fat - cooking them for about 10 minutes till they turn brown at the edges. Now stir in the flour to soak up the juices, then gradually add the hot water and Worcestershire sauce, stirring or whisking until flour and liquid are smoothly blended. Season with salt and pepper and bring it up to simmering point, then pour it over the meat in the casserole. Add the bay leaf and thyme, then arrange the potato slices on top, in an overlapping pattern like slates on a roof. Season the potatoes and add a few flecks of butter here and there. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook near the top of the oven for 1½ hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further 50 minutes.I sometimes finish off the hotpot under the grill. If you brush the potatoes with a little more butter and place the casserole under a hot grill they crisp up and brown beautifully. Alternatively, if you think they're not browning enough during cooking, you can turn the heat in the oven right up during the last 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs before serving.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Set an oven to 180˚C.
• Grease a 22cm ovenproof casserole. Coat the diced meat in the seasoned flour, and shake off any excess.
• Put a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pot, using some of the smaller bits (keep the nice even-sized round ones for the topping). Add some more slices around the edge to line the sides a bit.
• Next, layer up your hotpot like this: seasoning and thyme, half the mutton, half the onion, half the carrots, bay leaves, half the kidneys, seasoning and thyme, rest of the mutton, rest of the veg, rest of the kidneys.
• Finally, arrange more potato discs on top in an overlapping circle. Brush with melted butter, season again, cover and place in the oven for 2.5 hours. After the main cooking time, remove the lid, and cook in the oven for a further 30 mins to crisp the top layer of potatoes.
• Serve piping hot. This dish does not need an accompaniment.