Lancashire Hot Pot Serves 4-6 people - from Mr D's Thermal Cookbook

The Lancashire Hotpot has its origins in Lancashire. Some people say that female mill workers would prepare the dinner in the morning and place it in the range so that it was ready when the family returned home in the evening. Others say that mine workers would take it to the mines for lunch wrapped in blankets to keep it hot. Whatever the truth is though, it certainly is a great meal to cook in a thermal cooker.


THE INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg of Lamb or mutton neck chops cut into 4 cm cubes.
• Seasoned flour for dusting.
• Groundnut oil.
• 50g of unsalted butter.
• 3 medium onions sliced.
• 1 ltr of lamb stock (if using stock cubes use two in 1 litre of boiling water).
• 2 sprigs of thyme.
• 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce.
• 900g of potatoes cut into 1.5cm slices.

THE METHOD:

1. Dry the lamb on kitchen towel before dusting it with the seasoned flour.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a hot frying pan and fry the lamb in batches until it is browned all over. Remove each batch as it is browned.
3. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the frying pan.
4. Add the onions and thyme. Cook until the onions start to colour.
5. Add the butter and cook for a few more minutes until the onions have softened.
6. Sprinkle on one tablespoon of the seasoned flour and mix with the onions.
7. Slowly add the stock stirring all the time to avoid any lumps.
8. Add the Worcestershire sauce.
9. Bring to the boil and check the seasoning. Adjust by adding salt and pepper if necessary.
   Simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Now start to assemble the hotpot by placing a layer of potatoes overlapping in the bottom of the Thermal Cooker inner pot.
11. Next put a layer of lamb followed by a layer of onions and the sauce they were cooked in.
12. Now put another layer of potatoes and continue layering potatoes, lamb and onions until everything is used up. End on a layer of potatoes.
13. Put the thermal cooker inner pot on the stove and bring the contents to the boil.
14. Put the lid on and turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes.
15. Put the inner pot into the insulated outer pot and shut the lid.
16. Cook for a minimum of 3 hours before serving.