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Jack Townsend's Lancashire hotpot

Jack Townsend's Lancashire hotpot

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Make these delicious hotpot, sent in by Jack Townsend from Lancashire - plus his recipe for homemade stock.

Serves: 4
Costs: Cheap as chips

Ingredients

'I always make my own stock. After boning the lamb or taking the breast off chicken, I cook the bones with any unused bits of meat. and season the stock when it's been cooking for about an hour. I then strain the contents of the pan, skim off the fat, and when cool, I pour the liquid into ice cube moulds, freeze and bag into packs of 10 - so I always have any stock I need. I do the same with a couple of small beef bones and trimmings from chuck (shoulder) and stewing beef.'

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Medium-sized shoulder of lamb (blade half)
1 medium leek
1 large onion
3tbsp virgin olive oil (chilli-flavoured)
1tbsp of flour (any white)
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pint of chicken stock (homemade is better)
3 large potatoes
1tsp mixed herbs (dried is fine)
Salt and pepper to taste (I use ½ tsp each of freshly grated sea salt and mixed pepper, but season to taste)

Method

First, bone and dice the meat into 1-inch cubes, removing any excess fat.
Next, sear the cubes in a frying pan with the olive oil. After searing, put to one side. Place the leeks and the onions in the pan and cook till they have just softened.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it is mixed in - this dries up the juices of the meat and the olive oil in the pan, and retains the flavours in the pan to add to the dish.
Add the Worcestershire sauce into the stock and heat. As it starts to bubble, stir in the herbs and salt and pepper, then pour it into the main pan. Reheat until it's bubbling along with the leeks and onions then pour on top of the meat. Stir the meat, onions and leeks together.
Slice half the potatoes into 1-inch thick slices and lay them in a medium-sized casserole dish. Pour in the meat, leeks and onion mixture.
Slice the rest of the potatoes into slightly thinner slices, and lay them (in layers, like fish scales) on top of the mixture. Put the lid on the dish and place in the middle of the oven (180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4) for 2 hrs.
Remove from the oven, add butter on top of the sliced potatoes and place under the grill for 10-15 mins. (If you like, you can use a cook's blow lamp to brown and crisp the top layer).
Serve with a side of vegetables. I mix cauliflower, broccoli, julienne carrots and green beans, all cooked together for about 15 mins.

Jack's tip: 'I always make my own stock. After boning the lamb or taking the breast off chicken, I cook the bones with any unused bits of meat. and season the stock when it's been cooking for about an hour. I then strain the contents of the pan, skim off the fat, and when cool, I pour the liquid into ice cube moulds, freeze and bag into packs of 10 - so I always have any stock I need. I do the same with a couple of small beef bones and trimmings from chuck (shoulder) and stewing beef.' Jack Townsend, 65, Accrington, Lancashire Think you can do better? Got your own recipe? Send it to us and we'll publish the best

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