Lancashire Hotpot

Ingredients

• 700g boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm pieces
• 700ml lamb or beef stock, hot
• 2 tbsp plain flour, for dusting
• 2 carrots, thickly sliced
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 900g floury potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional). Toss the lamb pieces in the flour until evenly coated and shake off the excess.
2. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large flameproof casserole on the hob. Brown the lamb in batches until deeply golden on at least two sides, about 3–4 minutes per batch — don't crowd the pan. Transfer to a plate, leaving the juices behind.
3. Add the onions and carrots to the same pan and cook gently until the onions are soft, sweet and just starting to catch at the edges, about 8–10 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and the browned lamb with any resting juices.
4. Pour in the hot stock so it just covers the meat, tuck in the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven for 45 minutes — the sauce should be thickening and the lamb nearly tender.
5. Arrange the thin potato slices in overlapping concentric circles over the stew, working from the outside in. Dot with the remaining butter, season the potatoes generously with salt and pepper, and brush any exposed slices with a little of the melted butter from the pan.
6. Return the uncovered casserole to the oven and bake for a further 45–60 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and golden at the edges and the lamb beneath is meltingly tender.
7. Rest for 10 minutes before serving so the sauce settles into a glossy, spoonable gravy. Scatter with chopped parsley at the table.