Lancashire hotpot is a classic British casserole dish in Lancashire county on the west coast of England. It consists of layers of meat and root vegetables, topped with a layer of potato slices, slow-cooked in an oven in a covered pot.
As with most British things, there are many different recipes for Lancashire Hotpot. Recipes call for basic seasonings such as salt, pepper, and onion. The root veg can be a carrot, turnip, leeks, potatoes, etc. Opinions are divided on what meat is authentic.
Common meats are beef, lamb, or a combination of the two.
Traditionally, hotpot consists of mutton, and sheep meat, cooked in a broth with meat and vegetables.
The Lancashire Hotpot is often served as pub grub and is frequently accompanied by pickled red cabbage or beetroot on the side. Modern pub variants may put beef in it and top it with a pastry crust.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12 ounces chopped onion
- 2 carrots, coarsely sliced
- 1 ½ pound cubed leg of lamb meat
- 2 ½ pounds of potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1-ounce butter
- 2 cups chicken or lamb stock
INSTRUCTION
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and carrots until soft and deep golden. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add lamb to skillet and fry (in batches if necessary) until rich chestnut brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain fat and reserve.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
- Spread 1/2 of the potatoes in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place browned lamb and onions on top, sprinkle with thyme, and season to taste. Cover with remaining potatoes, season to taste, and dot with butter. Pour stock over all.
- Put the lid on the casserole, and pop it in the oven for 4 to 6 hours. After 3 or so hours, poke the contents with a knife to see how it’s coming along. It’s done when everything is entirely soft. Remove the lid in the final hour of cooking to brown and crisp the top potatoes.
- Note: If you don’t have a lid for the dish that goes in the oven, you can bake it open in the pan. If the pan dries out during cooking, add more stock as needed. If the pan browns too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil.
Where and when did this dish originate?
Lancashire hotpot was a popular traditional dish in the North West of England. She dates back to the start of industrialization in the area around 1750. Historically, it seems that the meat was actually mutton, as mutton was cheap and easy to get in the area. A few oysters were added, too, for rich flavoring, as they were also cheap, what with Lancashire being on the coast.
This dish hugely influenced early English cooking and is still popular all over England and Ireland today.
You can also read an article about London on the Travel page, as well as this recipe from Britain.
Discover more about British cuisine
If you want to explore British cuisine, customs, and culture, I recommend this webpage:
Traditional British cuisine: a food map of the UK by Carol Wilson. Her article covers the UK with all the similarities and differences between England and Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Check out Traditional English Dishes and the History of English Food by Alison Ensign if you want to learn more about traditional English cuisine.
I believe you will enjoy it.
