25 Oct beef hotpot

Try this Lancashire classic on a cold, winter’s eve.

Beef Hotpot (serves 4)

Ingredients

100g dripping, oil or butter

2 tablespoon plain white flour

900g stewing beef

2 large carrots, sliced into chunks

2 onions, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

1 tbsp tomato puree

100ml red wine

250ml beef stock

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoon plain white flour

fresh rosemary

900g potatoes, peel and very finely sliced

Fresh parsley

Method

1. Heat your oven to 160c/140c fan/Gas Mark 3. Heat some dripping, oil or butter in a large shallow casserole dish and brown the beef in batches before setting aside.
2. Fry the onions and carrots in the pan for 3 minutes, adding a little more dripping, oil or butter if needed. Add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes before adding the beef back to the pan. Add the tomatoe puree, red wine, beef stock, a pinch of salt and pepper and the flour. Mix really well before turning off the heat.
3. Arrange your finely sliced potatoes over the top of the meat, drizzling with a little more dripping, oil or butter. Cover with the casserole dish lid or tin foil before cooking in the oven for 2 hours.
4. Remove the lid or tin foil for the last 20 minutes of cooking, brushing the potatoes with a little more dripping, oil or butter, so that they go a beautifull golden brown just in time for serving.

This recipe first appeared in Insider Magazine in The Irish Independent on October 16th