Halloween Recipes, Pumpkin Recipes - Hotpot

Halloween Recipes, Pumpkin Recipes - Hotpot

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Halloween Hotpot

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

I can't claim any great Kentish heritage for my Halloween Hotpot but it does use ingredients you can largely buy locally. It's a variation on the traditional Lancashire Hotpot but it uses up all that pumpkin left over after the lanterns have been made and I prefer stewing lamb to chops. For a veggie version just use a suitable alternative to lamb, everything else stays the same. This dish will feed four, takes about 30 minutes to prepare and an hour to cook. 

Ingredients: Serves 4

600g potatoes (sliced)
600g pumpkin (cubed)
600g lamb (cubed)
1 large carrot sliced
1 large parsnip sliced
1 dozen smallish button mushrooms
1 large onion sliced
1 pint good quality lamb or vegetable stock
Vegetable oil
2 large knobs of butter
4 bay leaves or a Bouquet Garnet
1 table spoon of chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. Warm a table spoon of oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat, add the onions and meat and cook until the lamb takes some colour (3 or 4 minutes). Add a large knob of butter stir and gradually introduce the remaining vegetables stirring all the time. 

2. When the vegetables are coated and start to soften (after about 5 minutes) gradually add the stock continuing to stir. 

3. In a large oven proof casserole dish add a splash of oil, heat gently and layer half the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Gently add the meat, vegetables and stock from the saucepan.

4. Add half the parsley, the bay leaves or Bouquet Garnet and a knob of butter, allow to simmer on top of the stove for a few minutes then taste and season. 

5. Layer the remaining potatoes on top and bake in a pre heated oven at about 180°C for an hour. You want the sliced potatoes to be crisp on top but you don't want the liquid to reduce to nothing so keep checking. 

6. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve.