Easy Lamb Hotpot - All-in-one Dish

There are several methods of making this dish, the recipe I've given below is pretty straightforward, as you just layer everything into your casserole - without precooking anything.  However, you can cook the lamb stew in advance, and add sliced par-boiled potatoes on top afterwards and brown them in the oven - as per Jamie Oliver's version:

Ingredients: enough for 2 or 3 (or 4 smaller portions)
approx. 1lb. lamb steaks - trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces - (you can use any other suitable cuts)
1 large courgette
1 stick or 2 of celery
1 large tomato
3 or 4 potatoes
1 onion
1 large carrot
couple of garlic cloves - peeled and chopped
Try and cut the vegetables into approx. the same size chunks
handful of barley - if wanted
dried oregano, fresh rosemary (if poss)
salt and pepper
flour

Lay the vegetables, except the potato and onion, on the bottom of your casserole.
Dredge a little flour over the top, some salt and pepper and the herbs.
You could also throw in a handful of barley - which is lovely with lamb.
Toss the lamb pieces in seasoned flour and place on top.
Add the potatoes and onions.
Pour hot water or stock over the top to just about cover - a little less is fine.
Season the top layer of veg.

I cover the casserole with a layer of either greaseproof or cooking parchment, then a cover of double-foil.  (A lid is fine :) )

Oven: 
1. about an hour at 190 deg.C
2. turn the oven temperature down a little and cook for another hour or so,
3. then you can just leave it in the oven at about 100 deg.C until you want it.  The longer it cooks - it's just fine.

If you find the gravy hasn't come out thickly enough for you - just carefully strain it off, add some slaked arrowroot or cornstarch and reheat it separately in a small saucepan - this should thicken it up to your taste.  Pour it back over the casserole.

Lamb and Mutton Slow Cooked & Gratin Potatoes

this is a very easy - (cant really go wrong) recipe, and is a lovely autumn/wintery dish ........ This recipe is thanks to Raymond Blanc - although I did tweak it a little (excuse me M. Blanc) .............

Menu: 
Mutton Casserole : Barley with Leek : Creamy Gratin Potatoes
Oven: 230 C for about 30 mins, then lower to l50 for approx. 4 hrs. (or more)

Ingredients for Meat Casserole:

lamb and mutton pieces - I used mutton pieces and lamb fillet (cut into pieces)

olive/sunflower oil

salt

fresh herbs (if poss:   rosemary,marjoram (oregano), few sage leaves, couple of sprigs of thyme

large clove of garlic

Carrot, White Onion, Celery - few other veg. of choice, if wanted
I used a mixture of Sherry & Apple Juice as my stock liquid - have enough to cover the meat - you may need to add some more later on.

I also kept back the small pieces of bone, and roasted them beforehand to add to the casserole - though this is optional.  You could do this while leaving the meat to marinate.

Method:

1. Combine in a bowl with your meat: 

little olive or sunflower oil

a large clove of crushed garlic, 

fresh herbs - rosemary,marjoram (oregano), few sage leaves, couple of sprigs of thyme (remove twigs!) and salt.

Rub into the meat and leave, covered,  to infuse for a short time.

2. Place all the above (and roasted bones if using) into your large casserole, and add:

1 large peeled and chunkily chopped carrot

1 white onion - peeled and also chunkily chopped

couple of celery sticks - chopped

courgette if fancied and any other veg you fancy putting in.  Turn all of this over very well so that they are well coated and mixed together.
Add your stock liquid.

Tuck a piece of greaseproof paper in over the top and cover the casserole tightly with foil or a lid.

3. Place in oven for approx. 30 mins on a high heat, then lower. 

Baste from time to time, adjusting the seasoning if necessary (adding freshly ground black pepper).

Potato Gratin:
Peeled and parboiled Potatoes - I used 3 large Maris Pipers plus about 8 small ones.
500 ml. whipping cream, S and P
clove of crushed garlic
Small amount of Thyme
knob of butter for greasing baking dish

The potatoes are parboiled first, then sliced, layered and seasoned, into a buttered dish, 

add your whipping cream (or whipping and single cream) + large clove of crushed garlic.

Cover with greaseproof then foil.

This is baked at approx. 160/180 C or bake for longer if put in with the mutton casserole (though obviously for less time than the meat) - 

Remove the foil when the potatoes are almost cooked,

Bake until bubbling and the potatoes are going brown (in parts) - test with a skewer to see if cooked through.  

Re-cover with foil and leave longer if not completely cooked.  If making a larger quantity remember this will take well over an hour or more to cook through.
Somehow, the longer you leave these potatoes, the tastier they are!

I also cooked some barley in my rice cooker. (I think lamb and barley go well together).

8 ozs. pearl barley - rinsed and soaked for about an hour

1/2 large leek - sliced, S and P 
small knob of butter.

Approx. 1.1/4pts. Vegetable Stock - you may need to add more as the barley soaks up a lot of liquid.

Cook as per Cooker instructions.


I cooked some peas as well to go with this, as I felt some 'green' was needed!  (Artistic license!)

Lamb Shanks - Slow Cooked - - (Plus a Soup) !

Well - I started off thinking I would make a stew by cutting my lamb shanks into chunks - but the first shank I did was so fiddly, and needed so many bits and sinews cutting off that I abandoned doing the second one. So I kept one whole plus the decent bits of meat for the casserole from the other one. The bone and bits I had left, I used to make a lamb and barley soup* (delicious - but really needs to be left a day before it matures and tastes better!) The casserole recipe is a fairly cheap dish, 'specially when you can get a soup out of it as well. Using two medium sized lamb shanks, you can probably feed 3 small appetites or 2 large ones!

Ingredients for Lamb Shanks Stew/Casserole:
2 medium lamb shanks
2-3 tbsl. olive oil
1 carrot - sliced
1 onion - sliced
2 sticks of celery - sliced
1/2 lemon - juice and finely grated zest
glug of Maple Syrup - to taste
couple of bayleaves, some thyme (fresh or dried) or mixed herbs
couple of cloves of garlic - crushed
a few sun-dried tomatoes (I used the ones in olive oil)
approx. 3/4 litre of water/stock/some wine or sherry if you fancy (mixture)
Seasoning (salt and pepper)
A few whole small peeled potatoes

Saute the vegetables, except the potatoes, & garlic until just softened
Add the tomatoes, stock, lemon juice/rind, a little of the Maple Syrup (can add more later if not sweet enough for your taste)
Bring gently to the boil and simmer until just a little reduced.
Meanwhile brown the shanks/meat pieces in another pan and add to the veg. mix once done.
Add your whole peeled spuds - (which will go lovely and brown in the cooking).
Gently shake the pan so the spuds get some covering of the juices.

Cover casserole or pan with a lid and place in your oven at about 120 deg.C for at least 2-2.1/2 hrs. (or longer)
Shake the casserole from time to time and check how soft the meat is - check for seasoning of course.

Delicious comfort food served with flageleots (with added butter, S&P and crushed garlic).

Lamb & Barley Soup*
The ingredients are virtually the same as the above ....... I also actually threw in the remnants of the half lemon!
olive oil
1 carrot - sliced
1 or 2 onions sliced
2-3 sticks of celery - sliced
couple of garlic cloves - chopped
couple of bayleaves
Medium Squidge of tomato puree
Handful of pearl barley
Seasoning, herbs to choice
I used Chicken Stock powder (Telma) to make up my stock, and added enough water to make a soup! (Sorry I cant be more accurate!)
Adjust your seasoning to the amount of liquid used.

Saute your veggies until softening
Add your shank bone and bits of meat left (or just use one whole shank)
Brown the meat a little, shaking the pan so the veggies dont stick and get brown.
Add your hot stock and rest of the ingredients
The meat should be falling off the bone when done, and this can be served in the soup.

Leave to simmer - more or less a couple of hours - until you're satisfied with it!
You can drink this the same day, but I usually leave it overnight in the fridge and skim of the excess fat the next day, bring it to the boil again and use as required.