Betty’s hotpot was the stuff of legend on Coronation Street, here is one that award winning chef, Nigel Haworth, made earlier
Serves 4
Special Equipment
1 earthenware hotpot dish that’s 8 cm deep and 18 cm in diameter
Ingredients
For the onions:
10g unsalted butter 450g thinly sliced onions
½tsp salt
For the lamb:
450g mix of cubed (3 cm) lamb meat consisting of:
250g trimmed shoulder, 100g trimmed neck filled and 100g trimmed shin (see method below)
10g golden granulated sugar
10g plain flour
1 tsp salt
good pinch of ground white pepper
4 lamb neck chops (under shoulder chops)
For the potatoes:
850g Maris Piper potato slices (see method below)
15g unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
good pinch of ground white pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 140°C (fan assisted).
For the onions:
2. Set a saucepan over a medium - high heat and melt the butter. When the butter is hot and foaming, add the onions and sweat until they turn a light golden brown colour. Season with ½tsp salt and set aside.
For the lamb:
3. Trim the lamb shoulder, neck and shin. Dice the meat into 3 cm cubes and spread out on a tray. Sprinkle the lamb with the sugar, flour, salt and pepper and use your hands to coat the meat well in the seasoning.
4. Arrange the seasoned meat in the bottom of the hotpot dish and then mix half of the cooked onions through the lamb. Divide the remaining half of onions evenly on top of the lamb.
5. Ensure the bones of the lamb neck chops are thoroughly scraped clean with a sharp knife. Put the 4 chops evenly around the perimeter of the hotpot dish, pushing them firmly into the onions. The bones will be sticking prominently out of the hotpot dish so cover the tops with a single layer of tin foil to protect them from burning in the oven.
For the potatoes:
6. Choose approximately 3 large baking size potatoes and scrub them clean. Cut the potatoes in half widthways and place cut side down onto the chopping board. Use a small paring knife to shape the potatoes into a cylinder measuring approximately 6 cm in diameter.
7. Finely slice the potatoes using a mandoline or a sharp knife to 2 mm thickness and weigh the slices in a large bowl. You should have 850g of potato slices.
8. Melt the 15g of butter and pour into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the salt and pepper and then use your hands to coat the potatoes really well in the butter and seasoning. Placing the bowl of potatoes in the microwave for about 20 seconds will take the chill off slightly to stop the butter from coagulating immediately.
9. Reserve the best looking potato slices for the top layer of the hotpot. Arrange ?of the potato slices evenly on top of the onions. Make a circle finishing off with the best looking slices.
10. Bake the hotpot for 2 ½hours in the pre-heated oven. Half way through the bake, brush the potato tops with a little more melted butter if required.
11. When the baking time has finished, remove the hotpot from the oven and brush the now golden brown potato with a little melted butter and allow the dish to rest for about 10 minutes.
12. Serve with the pickled red cabbage.
