Mary Berry Lamb Hotpot Recipes

EASY LAMB HOTPOT

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan/ gas mark 4 / 350F.
• In a large, wide cast iron pot (or ovenproof saucepan - see Note 1), add a little oil plus the onion and carrot. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes or until soft but not brown.
• Turn the heat up and add the lamb, cook for 2-3 minutes until nicely browned. Add the lamb stock, plus a little salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
• Turn the heat off and arrange the potato slices on the top so they slightly overlap. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper then cover the pan with a lid (or foil) and place in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour turn the oven up to 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F and cook for a further 30 minutes, uncovered, or until the top is brown and the potatoes are completely cooked.
• Serve just as it is or with extra vegetables.

LEAN LAMB HOT POT

Steps:

• Trim any visible fat off the lamb and cut the meat into rough 3cm chunks. Season generously all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the lamb in 2 batches over a medium-high heat until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to a medium casserole dish- it will need to hold about 2.5 litres. Tip the onions and carrots into the pan with the lamb and sprinkle with the flour. Toss everything together well, then pour over the stock and add the thyme leaves, rosemary and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3½. Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices about 5mm thick. Arrange the slices on top of the lamb, overlapping and layering them as you go. Season with ground black pepper and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bake the hotpot for 1 hour, then remove the lid and bake for a further 45 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely browned and the lamb is tender. Check by poking with the point of a knife into the centre of the lamb filling - if the meat is done the knife should slide in easily. Serve with freshly cooked greens.

MARY BERRY'S IRISH STEW

Steps:

• Cook time: 2-2½ hours, plus resting 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4. 2. Season the flour with salt and pepper and then toss the lamb in the flour. Heat some of the oil in a wide-based flameproof and ovenproof casserole dish with a lid, then fry the lamb on all sides over a high heat for 4-6 minutes until golden. Fry the lamb in batches, adding more oil as needed and removing each batch with a slotted spoon to set aside while you cook the rest. 3. Add a little more oil to the pan, then tip in the onions, celery and carrots and fry over a medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and thyme and scatter the browned lamb over the top. Pour over the stock and bring to the boil. 4. Reduce the heat and arrange the potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper as you layer the potato slices, gently pressing down so the liquid rises to cover them. 5. Cover with the lid and carefully transfer to the oven to cook for 1½-2 hours or until the lamb and potatoes are both tender. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6, remove the lid and cook for a further 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are golden. 6. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and remove the bay leaves before serving with a leafy green vegetable, such as chard or cabbage. Mary's Classic Tips: * Ask your butcher to give you the bones from the filleted neck - perfect for making stock. Roast the bones for a fuller flavour, then cover with water and simmer with herbs and chopped vegetables for an hour. Freeze to use when you next make stew. * Check the stew after 1½ hours - you don't want it to dry out, particularly as it will be cooked for another 8-10 minutes.

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.
• Season the lamb chops with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then fry the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned all over. Transfer the lamb chops to a medium casserole.
• Fry the carrot, celery and onion in the same frying pan for 4-5 minutes, or until coloured and softened.
• Stir the flour into the vegetables and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the flour turns a biscuit colour.
• Pour in the beef stock and stir well until the liquid has thickened and there are no visible lumps of flour.
• Transfer the vegetables and thickened stock to the casserole. Add 7 thyme sprigs and the bay leaf, then bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat until the mixture is just simmering.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
• Arrange the potato slices on top of the hotpot, overlapping the edges slightly. Brush the potato slices all over with the melted butter. Sprinkle the top with a few thyme leaves from the remaining sprig of thyme.
• Bake the hotpot in the oven for 1-1½ hours, or until the potato topping is crisp and golden-brown and the vegetables are tender.

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.