Lancashire Hotpot

INGREDIENTS

(Serves six)

1 x six-bone neck chops
2 x shoulder shanks
1 neck of lamb
Salt
Black pepper
100ml reduced chicken stock
600g sliced onion with 40g unsalted butter
1 200 peeled potato (King Edwards Maris Piper or Desirée) with 60g butter
A little clarified butter

METHOD

Preheat a convection oven to 150¼C gas mark 1. Lightly salt the meat. Scorch for about a minute in a hot non-stick frying pan. Arrange the pieces to cover the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Grind pepper over the meat. Deglaze the frying pan with stock and pour over the meat.

Put the onions and butter in a pan. Salt lightly. Allow the onions to sweat until their volume is reduced by about half. Toss so they are evenly coated in butter. Spoon over the meat in an even layer.

Slice the potatoes on a mandoline to 1mm thickness. It's important not to leave potatoes standing in water at any time or they will lose their starch. Warm them in a pan or bowl with the butter (either on top of the range or in a microwave). Season and coat thoroughly in butter - Lancastrians used dripping traditionally but butter is as good.

Spread the potato over the onion without too much attention at first but on the top make a layer of neatly overlapping slices. Put the dish in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. Cover either with foil or a lid. Bake for two hours. Uncover brush the top lightly with clarified butter and bake for a final 30 minutes.