Lancashire Hot Pot

Before going into the oven. Forgot to take a photo after!

The need to have tea on the table around 5pm four days a week, and a drop in the temperature, found me googling lamb hot pot this week.  The recipe I ended up using was from BBC Good Food, but I note it is almost exactly the same as Delia’s.

I had to use 4 lamb kidneys as my butcher only sold them frozen in 4s.  I think next time I would possibly only use one.  The kids were not keen, Dad says he doesn’t remember having them in it as a kid, although it does add a depth of flavour.  The recipes also calls for 900g of lamb.  In the name of challenge, thrift, and wanting to eat less red meat I will only use 500g next time and bulk the dish up with 500g of swede, carrot, and maybe parsnips.

And when finding the links to the recipes above today, I have just noticed this article from Felicity Cloake in The Guardian ‘How to Cook the Perfect Lancashire Hotpot‘

Serves a hearty 4

1-2 tbsp sunflower oil
400g stewing lamb, cut into large chunks
1-3 lamb kidneys, sliced, fat removed (optional)
2 medium onions, chopped
500g mixture of chunkily chopped carrots, swede, parsnip
2 heaped dessertspoons plain flour
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
500ml lamb or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
900g potatoes, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 160C or fan 140C.

Brown the lamb in batches in an ovenproof casserole dish, followed by the kidneys if using. Remove to a plate or upturned casserole lid in my case.

Fry the onions and chunked vegetables in the pan with a little more oil until beginning to brown. Sprinkle over the flour, stir and cook for a couple of mins. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stock and bring to the boil.

Return the meat to the pan together with the bay leaves. Turn off the heat and layer the sliced potatoes on top of the meat. Drizzle with a little olive oil or dot with butter. Cover and cook in the oven for about 1½ hours until the potatoes are cooked.

After 1½ hours remove the lid, drizzle over a little more olive oil or dot with butter again, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes. This can be also be done under the grill for 5-8 minutes but do not turn your back on it if using the grill as the pototoes catch very easily in my experience!

Serve with buttery cabbage, spinach, peas or broccoli. Basically something green I think!

Shepherds Pie with Hidden Vegetables

Sprout grumbled when I announced at breakfast that it was going to be Shepherd’s Pie for tea.  And grumbled again when I reminded her on the walk home from school.  She then looked somewhat surprised when I set a plate of it down in front of her at tea, saying “Oh I thought you meant Fish Pie”.  As seconds were had by all, I resolve never to pay attention to children grumbling about Shepherds Pie again.

It was announced to be the best Shepherd’s Pie ever and they were none the wiser about the vegetables! I used to make this with more meat, but I stretched 500g of lamb with loads of vegetables one day to feed an unexpected guest and it was a result. Yes it is a big hearty comfort food dish, but it’s actually relatively healthy and thrifty. Serves 4-6 500g lamb mince or leftover lamb roast 1 carrot 1 stick of celery 1 onion 1 garlic clove 1/4 swede 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce 1 tin chopped tomatoes 5 large baking potatoes Butter or margarine Milk 1 handful cheddar cheese Finely chop the onion and garlic (I often use a food processor for my veg chopping in this meal) and start frying with the olive oil in a large saucepan or saute pan.  Finely dice, grate, or blitz the carrot and celery, adding this to the pan when ready.  Peel and grate or blitz swede and add this to the pan.  Stir, cover, and sweat this vegetable rubble for 5 minutes.

When soft or beginning to catch add the lamb, breaking up the lumps and cooking for a few minutes.  Then add chopped tomatoes, half a can of water, worcestershire sauce and leave to simmer for 30 minutes Peel the potatoes and roughly chop.  Boil in salted water for 15 minutes or until soft.  Drain and mash with a large knob of butter or margarine and milk to make a spreadable mash. Put the lamb mix into a high sided baking dish and spread over the mash.  Ruffle the surface of the mash with a fork and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190C for about 30 minutes until bubbling and golden on top (you might need the grill on for a few minutes at the end to achieve this).

Twitter: Leesa@sunhillcurry

Spicy Korean Roast Leftovers Rice Salad

We had quite a lot of lamb left over from our Moroccan Butterflied Leg of Lamb last weekend, so after seeing Korean Stir-Fried Rice on Jamie’s Money Saving Meals I thought I’d try to recreate the distant memory of a spicy Korean rice salad we enjoyed several times in a New Zealand shopping mall over 15 years ago.  And it makes a pleasant change to having simple cold meat, veg, & potatoes midweek.

Based on what we had in the cupboards, this is what I put together

Serves 1

1/4 mug brown or white rice
Large handful of swiss chard or other leafy greens
Handful of leftover roast (lamb, beef, pork, chicken)
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 medium sized onion
1 tsp hot chilli flakes
2tbsp white wine vinegar
1 heaped tsp redcurrant jelly (I used bramble jelly)
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Cook the rice according to the packet’s instructions.  Finely shred the chard and wilt in the pan with pan with the rice for the last couple of minutes of cooking.  Drain and leave to one side.

Finely chop the meat, garlic, and onion and mix with the remaining ingredients.  Mix together with the warm rice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and either eat immediately or leave for the flavours to develop.