Lancashire Hot Pot

Go to any pub in England, particularly in the north, and the Lancashire Hot Pot will almost certainly have made it on to the menu. It’s a British classic, and provided you have a spare two or three hours to let it bake, it is easy to prepare and ideal for feeding large numbers. The original included oysters, which you can add to this recipe if you so desire.

Lancashire Hot Pot (serves 4)

Ingredients
700 g of cubed lamb (or neck of lamb)
2 lamb kidneys, prepared by butcher & sliced
450g potatoes, thinly sliced
100g mushrooms
220g onions, thinly sliced
150ml lamb/beef stock
25g butter

Method
Cover the base of an ovenproof casserole dish (around 3 pints in volume) with some of the potato slices. Set the lamb on top, cover with kidney and onions, and then season. Overlap the remaining slices of potato on top and pour in the stock. Brush with butter and cover dish with tin foil. Bake at 180 degrees C for about an hour and three quarters. Remove the foil and bake for another thirty minutes or until the spuds are golden brown.

The wine match

Roast lamb is traditionally enjoyed with Bordeaux red, so I don’t think I’d be too far off the mark recommending one to go with the Lancashire Hot Pot. The Sirius Bordeaux is textbook Bordeaux, abundant in black fruit and secondary flavours, such as tobacco and licorice. A touch vegetal, it’s backed by wonderful acidity, almost reminiscent of the best Italians. For something slightly more approachable, I would also vouch for the the beautifully rounded Château Bauduc Clos des Quinze.