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Lighter Lancashire hotpot

By Angela Nilsen

This easy lamb one pot takes classic comfort food and makes it healthier, without compromising on flavour

Prep:40 mins
Cook:2 hrs 30 mins

Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 577
fat 21g
saturates 7.9g
carbs 53.8g
sugars 17.3g
fibre 10.7g
protein 37.7g
salt 0.9g

Ingredients

650g boned lamb shoulder, excess fat trimmed
4 tsp plain flour
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 medium onions, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
3 carrots (350g total weight), halved lengthways and cut into bite-sized chunks
225g swede, cut into bite-sized chunks
3 thyme sprigs, plus extra leaves to garnish
2 bay leaves
200ml chicken stock, made with ½ chicken stock cube
1½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
750g potatoes, such as Maris Piper or Desirée, very thinly sliced

Tip

Angela's top tip

If your casserole dish is very full once everything is layered up, cover the top layer of oiled potato slices with a piece of baking parchment – this will prevent them sticking to the lid of the dish.

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cut the lamb into chunky 5-6cm pieces. Tip the flour onto a large plate, season with pepper and a little salt, and toss the lamb in the flour to coat evenly and completely. Set aside.
Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large, deep frying or sauté pan. Put the onions, carrots, swede, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in the pan and season with pepper. Cook on a medium-high heat for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick, until the vegetables start to go brown around the edges – the bottom of the pan should be slightly brown and caramelised too. Pour in the stock; it should sizzle then bubble in the pan. Immediately remove the pan from the heat so the stock does not reduce in volume. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
Overlap a single layer of the potato slices in the bottom of a 2-litre casserole dish (about 20cm diameter x 10cm deep). Lay half the lamb over the potatoes, then spoon half the vegetable mix over the meat. Season with pepper. Sit the rest of the lamb on top, then tip the rest of the vegetables, herbs and all the liquid over the lamb. Press down with the back of a spoon, if necessary, to make room for the remaining potatoes. Start to layer up the potato slices in 3 tightly overlapping layers, seasoning each layer with pepper and brushing with oil as you go – save a bit of oil for the top layer. Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 10 mins.
Reduce the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Cook for a further 2 hrs until the lamb is really tender and the potatoes are cooked. Take the lid off and pop under the grill for 8-10 mins until the potatoes are golden and crisp around the edges. Remove and let the hotpot settle for 5-10 mins, then serve scattered with thyme leaves.