Betty Turpin's Hot Pot

Total Time: 4 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 lbs lamb necks, cubed
• 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large onions or 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 3/4 pint light stock or 3/4 pint hot water
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 ounce dripping
• 1 ounce butter (or use only 2 ozs. butter, no drippings)
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 325°f.
• 2 melt the dripping or 1 oz butter over a high heat in a heavy-bottomed frying pan until the fat smokes.
• 3 seal the meat and continue frying until nicely browned.
• 4 remove the pieces from the pan to a deep casserole or divide among four individual high-sided oven proof dishes.
• 5 turn down the heat to medium.
• 6 fry the onions in the pan juices, adding a little more butter or dripping if necessary.
• 7 when the onions are soft and starting to brown, sprinkle on the flour and stir in to soak up the fat and the juices.
• 8 as the flour paste starts to colour, start adding stock or water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps.
• 9 gradually add the rest of the liquid.
• 10 bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, add the worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 11 pour the onions and liquid over the meat and mix well.
• 12 tuck in the bay leaf (tear into 4 pieces if making individual hot pots).
• 13 arrange the potatoes over the meat in overlapping layers, seasoning each layer.
• 14 dot the top layer of potatoes with the remainder of the butter.
• 15 cover the dish and place on the top shelf of the oven for 2 hours.
• 16 uncover and cook for a further 30 minutes.
• 17 if the potatoes are not brown at this point, turn up the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes, or finish under the grill, brushing the potato slices with more butter if they look dry.
• 18 serve with red cabbage and chips.