Ground Lamb Lancashire Hotpot

This untraditional recipe uses ground lamb cooked with carrots, onions and thinly sliced potatoes, for an inexpensive, quicker-to-the-table version of the classic Lancashire hotpot.

Lancashire hotpot is a hearty dish from the northwest of England, made from some of the less expensive cuts of lamb cooked long and slow until they are tender. This is a great family meal on a chilly night when the heat of the oven is a comfort and we all need something warm in our bellies.

Browning the ground lamb until it turns crispy deepens the flavor of the gravy that is created with the added stock as the hotpot bakes.

Ground Lamb Lancashire Hotpot

My untraditional version uses an even cheaper cut, ground or minced lamb, which since it’s already tender, also shortens the cooking time. If you can't find ground lamb or you simply aren't a fan, substitute beef or pork.

Ingredients
1 lb 6 oz or 625g ground lamb
2 tablespoons plain flour
3 cups or 710ml beef or lamb stock
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf or 2 small ones
5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil (for frying ground lamb and greasing Dutch oven for baking)

Method
Brown the ground lamb very well, until it’s a little crispy on the edges, adding a little of the olive oil if the lamb is dry. Some ground meat contains more fat than others, depending on which cuts the butcher has included in the mix.

Once the meat is well browned, sprinkle in the flour. Cook a few minutes more, stirring well. Turn the heat off and stir in the stock.

Add in carrots, onion and bay leaf.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Grease your Dutch oven with some of the olive oil. Line the base with potato slices then season them with salt and pepper.

Spoon the ground lamb mixture on top of the potatoes. Top with the rest of the potato slices.

Drizzle the potatoes with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

Cover the Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid and cook the ground lamb Lancashire hotpot in your preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 

Remove the lid and cook another 20-30 minutes so the top can brown. If it is not browned to your satisfaction, you can put it under the broiler (Br. Eng: grill) for 5 or 10 minutes to brown further but do keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Enjoy!

We eat a lot of lamb at our house. If you are also a fan of lamb, you might want to check out these other recipes, all family favorites.

• Irish Lamb Stew - perfect for St. Patrick's Day! 
• Saucy Persian Lamb Meatballs
• Grilled Lamb Skewers with Roasted Carrots

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Okie Peasant Potato Soup #BloggerCLUE

This creamy thick potato soup, seasoned with shallot, garlic and bacon, is sure to warm body and soul on a cold winter’s day. 

One of my favorite days of the month is here – it’s Blogger C.L.U.E. Society reveal day when I get to tell you the clue we were assigned this month – soups and stews - and which blog I’ve been poking around in – the wonderful Eliot’s Eats! I’ve been getting Debra’s recipe posts in my inbox for a very long time, although I am terrible about commenting, so she may not even know that. I just checked the “read” emails in my inbox and this is the weirdest thing but the very first one was from the day I signed up - a message to confirm my subscription – on February 10, 2013! Isn’t that a wild coincidence! It’s our anniversary! Three years of delicious recipes from Eliot's Eats in my inbox!

Proof! Not that you didn't believe me but only because I hardly believe it myself! February 10th! 

I have to tell you that I didn’t even get around to a search for stews because I was bookmarking so many soups to make that I knew the choice was going to be hard enough. Check out the Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup that may have won Debra’s husband’s heart or this spicy Furious Five-Spice Noodle Soup with an Asian flair.  I was also loving the way Debra has turned favorite non-soup dishes into soup like these pizza and enchiladas ones. I mean, sometimes you want pizza or enchiladas but sometimes a body just needs soup.  Can I get an amen?

Those of you in the cold areas of the world right now are going to laugh in my face when I tell you that Dubai is cold when we are only talking the late 40s°F (<10°C) at night but remember that we have no heating whatsoever. These tile floors, thick walls and reflective windows are designed to keep us cool during the extraordinary heat of summer but they make it really chilly indoors during the wintertime. Plus I don't seem to own the right clothes. What I needed was a thick, comforting soup so I finally settled on Debra’s mom’s Okie Peasant Potato Soup because it starts with bacon and ends with cheese, and what could be more perfect than that?

Ingredients - Makes about 6 servings.
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 lbs or 680g red potatoes
1 large carrot
1 small shallot (Debra used dried shallots but I don't have any of those.)
3 cups or 710ml chicken broth
3 tablespoons bacon fat
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups or 710ml low fat (but not skim) milk
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated cheddar to serve

Method
Cook your bacon until crispy and drain on some paper towels. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Chop the bacon with a sharp knife and set aside. I also set aside just a little for use as garnish when serving. I left it pretty chunky.

Cube your potatoes, leaving the peels on. Peel and dice your carrot.

Peel and mince your shallot and garlic clove.

Put one tablespoon of bacon fat in a large pot with the minced shallot and sauté until translucent. Add in the potatoes, carrots and chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Cook until carrots and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

In another saucepan, heat the rest of the bacon fat and lightly sauté your garlic. You don’t want it to brown and turn bitter, but just to soften. Add the flour and whisk until mixture bubbles to cook the flour.

Carefully whisk in milk to make a sauce.

Cook for a few more minutes until the white sauce thickens a little and then remove from the heat.

Use a firm whisk to add the sauce into the potato pot.  Some of the potatoes should break up a bit, thickening the soup even more but make sure to leave some chunks too.

Add in the crispy bacon bits. Cook for a few more minutes and then taste your soup. Add salt if it needs any and few generous grinds of fresh black pepper.

Ladle into warm bowls. Sprinkle on some cheddar cheese (and bacon if you saved some) to serve. And, yes, that's just a little more black pepper. I love that stuff.

Enjoy!


The Blogger C.L.U.E. Society - February 2016 participants

• Caldo de Mariscos - Mexican Seafood Soup by Sue from A Palatable Pastime
• Cheddar Cheese Soup by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Chicken Asado by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Classic French Onion Soup by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Creamy Ham Swiss Potato Soup by Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Egg Drop Soup by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Egg Drop Soup by Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Ginger Lemon Chicken Soup by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Italian Soup by Anna from annaDishes
• Mini Ham and Cheese Pepper Frittatas by Karen from Lavender and Lovage
• New York Strip Steaks with Cognac Creamed Mushrooms by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Okie Peasant Potato Soup by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Potato and Ham Chowder by Kate from Kate's Kitchen
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Roasted Squash and Apple Soup by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
• Rustic Tortellini Soup by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Simple Cheese Soup by Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Veggie Chili by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook

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