Bolton Bacon Hotpot

09 August 2013

Ingredients

25g beef dripping

8 of 225g naturally cured bacon steaks

2 large red onions (peeled and sliced)

1 tbsp (15ml) freshly chopped sage leaves

1 carrot (diced)

25g plain flour

425ml chicken stock

150ml strong cider

Freshly milled black pepper

150g Real Lancashire Black Pudding? (diced)

900g potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)

85g Lancashire cheese (crumbled)

Method

1 Pre-heat the oven Gas 5, 375?F / 190?C.

2 Heat the dripping in a large frying pan and quickly brown the bacon steaks for about 2 minutes each side.

3 Remove the bacon to a large ovenproof casserole and keep warm in a low oven.

4 Fry the onions with the sage in the fat for about 3 minutes until the onions become transparent, add the carrot and flour, cook for 2 minutes, slowly add the chicken stock and cider, season well with freshly milled black pepper, stirring all the time and cook for a further 15 minutes.

5 Remove the bacon steaks from the oven and layer them with the diced black pudding, bacon and sliced potatoes in a deep casserole dish.

6 Pour over the cider and onion stock cover with a tightly fitting lid, and cook in the middle of the oven for 70 minutes.

7 Remove the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes to brown the potatoes.

8 Finally, sprinkle with crumbled Lancashire cheese and cook for a further 5 minutes and serve with crusty brown bread.