Lancashire Hotpot with Crisp Potato Lid

What you need

• 8 lamb neck chops, about 1 kg (2 lb) in total
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 450 ml (1 3/4 cups) lamb stock, chicken stock also works
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 900 g (2 lb) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 mm (1/8 in) slices
• 30 g (2 tbsp) butter, melted
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• pickled red cabbage, to serve

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 160 °C (325 °F).

2. 2

   Season the chops on both sides with salt and black pepper.

3. 3

   Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chops in two batches until deep golden, 2-3 min per side, and move them to a deep 3 l (3 qt) casserole.

4. 4

   Tuck the bay leaves and thyme in among the chops.

5. 5

   Add the rest of the oil to the pan and cook the onions over medium heat until soft and lightly coloured, 6-8 min.

6. 6

   Stir the flour into the onions and cook for 1 min. Pour in the stock a little at a time, stirring, then add the Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 2 min until slightly thickened. Season with salt and black pepper.

7. 7

   Pour the onion gravy over the chops.

8. 8

   Lay the potatoes over the top in tight, overlapping rows so no gravy shows, finishing with a neat top layer.

9. 9

   Brush the potatoes with the melted butter and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

10. 10

    Seal the casserole with its lid, or with foil pressed down around the rim, and bake for 1 h 30 min, until the lamb is tender and a knife slides easily through the potatoes.

11. 11

    Remove the lid, raise the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and bake until the potatoes are golden and crisp at the edges, 30-40 min.

12. 12

    Rest for 10 min, then serve with pickled red cabbage.

Imported from goodto.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.