Old Fashioned Lancashire Hot Pot is the quintessential meat and potatoes dish. Tender pieces of lamb, vegetables and sliced potatoes braised in the oven. One pot comfort food for the whole family. This popular pub grub is traditionally baked in a heavy cast iron or enamel pan with a lid. A hearty and comforting one-pot meal that consists of lamb, sliced onions, carrots all cooked in a well-seasoned beef stock, topped with thinly sliced potatoes.

A closeup of tender pieces of lamb and carrot in a pan topped with sliced potatoes

For this dish I like lamb leg. This is for two reasons, it’s easy to find and it can stand up to the long cooking time that results in tender meat.

In the days of its inception, around the mid 1800’s, mutton was typically used. This has now evolved into lamb because, well, when was the last time you saw mutton in the grocery store?

Slices of potatoes arranged decoratively in a braising pan

This historical dish is a typical hearty meat and potatoes dish that would feed millworkers, miners and such after a long day of work.

Not to be confused with the Chinese hot pot, which is a method of cooking by simmering a pot of soup at the table. The hotpot in this case refers to the vessel in which it is cooked, long, low and slow.

I like to use my braising pan which has a lid. It measures 11-inches (28 cm) in diameter, is 4-inches (10 cm) high and oven-proof.

A serving spoon of lamb, carrots and potatoes

Old Fashioned Lancashire Hotpot is best slowly roasted for about 1 1/2 hours, this gives a chance for all the flavors to meld and develop.

Serving Suggestion

It is almost a sacrilege by English standards to serve lamb without mint sauce so I always like to make my quick mint sauce to serve alongside. The recipe is courtesy of my mum.

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If you’ve made this Old Fashioned Lancashire Hotpot or any other recipe leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers!

Yield: 4

Old Fashioned Lancashire Hotpot

A spoonful of lamb, carrot and sliced potato

Tender pieces of lamb, vegetables and sliced potatoes braised in the oven.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 pounds (1 kg) boneless lamb, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 pound (45 grams) yellow onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • ½ cup (150 ml) unsalted or low sodium beef stock (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 12 ounces (361 grams) gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 -inch (1/2 cm) thin
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • For the mint sauce:
  • 2 cups (22 grams) mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (125 ml) boiling water
  • ½ cup (125 ml) white wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F/162°C.
  2. To a small bowl, add the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Dust the lamb with the flour and rub with your hands to coat well.
  3. To a skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil and butter over medium heat. When bubbling add the onions and soften. Remove from the pan.
  4. Add the other tablespoon of oil to the same pan over medium heat. Brown the lamb in 2 batches, don’t crowd the pan or it won’t brown.
  5. Return all the lamb and onions to the pan along with the carrots. Pour over the beef stock/broth, Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper and bay leaf. Turn off the heat. Arrange the potato slices on top in a decorative way. Brush all over with the melted butter and an even sprinkling of salt and pepper.
  6. Cover with a lid and cook in the center of the oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove the lid, brown the top with the broiler.
  7. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
  8. For the mint sauce:
  9. Add the mint, sugar, salt to a bowl. Add the boiling water and stir to mix well. Set aside and allow to cool. Once cooled, stir in the vinegar and taste for seasoning.

Notes

Note: Taste your broth, if it is salty, adjust the amount of salt you add

The recipe yields 1 cup (128 grams) mint sauce

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 695Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 25mgSodium 898mgProtein 17g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.