Lancashire Hotpot

• Leg of lamb, shank of hogget, or similar
• Knob of lard

For the Lamb Melt the lard in a large overproof pan. Add the lamb and turn to brown it all over.

• 3 quartered small Onions
• 2 Carrots cut for stock

Add the stock vegetables and use them to clean the bottom of the pan.

• 200ml Red wine
• Chicken stock
• Sprig of Rosemary
• 2 Bay leaves

Add the wine and cook it down. Then add stock until the vegetables are covered. If necessary, cut the meat in half to keep it covered in stock. Add some aromatics. Put the meat and stock in the oven at 150°C and cook for around three hours. Continue with preparing the rest of the recipe while the meat cooks in the stock.

• 1tbsp Flour
• 1tbsp Butter

For the Thickener While the lamb is in the oven, make a light-brown roux. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until it begins to bubble. Then add the flour and stir until it starts turning light brown and smelling biscuity. Only let it brown a little, or the biscuit taste will get too strong.

Once the meat has cooked for around three hours, remove it from the oven. At this point it should easily detact from the bone. Remove the lamb from the stock, and then strain the vegetables, retaining the stock.

• 3 Large Potatoes

For the Potatoes Slice the potatoes into thin rounds and put them to steam while continuing.

• 1 Leek
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Small Onions

For the Sauce Make a soffrito by dicing all the onions and carrots into~5mm cubes, and the leek into 5mm half-circles. There should be about equal amounts of all three vegetables. Melt a large knob of butter in a pan and sweat the soffrito until softened. Then add in the retained stock and the roux to make a sauce. Keep boiling until the sauce thickens, adding more roux or water if necessary.

• 2 cloves Garlic
• Thyme
• Black pepper

Break up the lamb into smaller chunks and stir them into the soffrito. Add some fresh aromatics.

For the Hotpot Ladle a third of the mixture into a baking dish, then put a layer of potatoes on top. Make two more layers, finishing with potatoes on top.

• 1 Knob of Butter
• 1 Egg

Melt the butter, then whisk it together with the egg. Brush the top layer potatoes with the egg mixture. Cook covered at 200°C for 15 minutes, and then uncovered for another 15 minutes, until the potatoes on top are golden brown.