One of our favourite one-pot meals, by far, is a lamb hotpot. It is so easy to throw together and is incredibly warming and comforting. I am desperately willing for it to be brighter and warmer, but we’ve still got frost and grey skies – so an ‘almost Spring’ hotpot is called for. You could make this in a slow cooker, but the potatoes wouldn’t get crispy on top. The lamb and vegetables would be lovely and tender, though. My onions, celery and carrots were all from our veg box and this is a classic, seasonal British dish.
Spring lamb is just coming into season. I usually ask the butcher for British lamb neck fillet, but a traditional ‘hotpot’ can also be made with neck chops, stewing lamb, diced leg or shoulder or something with a bone for extra flavour. For a Lancashire Hotpot, add 3 lamb kidneys, sliced, to the pan at the same time as browning your meat. Leave out the tomato paste and add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce instead.
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I’m sending this recipe across to Louisa at Chez Foti who is hosting this month’s Simple and in Season.
I’m also sending this to Credit Crunch Munch hosted jointly by Helen at Fuss Free Flavour and Camilla at Fab Food 4 All – although buying lamb fillet can be pricey, the carrot, onions, celery and potatoes are all in season and were all from my veg box. The stock and tomato puree are store-cupboard staples.
This recipe takes around one and a half hours to cook in the oven. You could follow all the same steps and instead of transferring the lamb and veg to a lidded casserole dish, layer it up in a slow cooker and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on a low setting. Pop over to Mediocre Mum’s new site Slow Cooker Queen for more slow cooking ideas.
Finally, this is my first entry into Made with Love Mondays, too.