Lamb, turnip & celeriac hotpot
Whole lamb neck fillets from a butcher can be double the size of the supermarket pre-packed ones, as they halve the whole fillet into two portions. Four large neck fillets from the butcher will easily feed six of you.
75g/21/ butter 100g/4oz golden caster sugar 2 vanilla pods, seeds scraped out 3 Bramley apples, peeled and chopped 600g/1lb 5oz rhubarb, cut into even
chunks 100g/4oz stem ginger, fnely chopped clotted cream sprinkled with ground
ginger, to serve FOR THE TOPPING 200g/7oz plain four 100g/4oz cold butter, diced 85g/3oz jumbo rolled oats 85g/3oz light brown soft sugar 100g/4oz shelled pistachios, chopped FOR THE SPICE BLEND 6 cloves 3 star anise 11/ tsp rosemary 3 garlic cloves 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 First, make the spice blend. Combine all the ingredients together in a spice grinder with 1 tbsp salt and blend to a fne paste. Alternatively, crush each ingredient with a pestle and mortar and combine to form a paste. Rub the paste onto the lamb fllets then leave in the fridge to marinate overnight. 2 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large fameproof casserole dish until smoking. Sear the lamb fllets in batches until evenly browned on all sides, then set aside on a plate. Good caramelisation on the meat will give it more favour. 3 Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper, then add the remaining oil. Once hot, add the shallots and cook over a medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 mins. Once browned, add the four and cook for 1 min to remove any foury taste. 4 Add the garlic and lamb stock to the casserole dish and bring to the boil, then 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. First, make the topping. In a bowl, rub the four and butter together with your fngertips until it resembles fne breadcrumbs. Add in the oats and sugar, and stir with a wooden spoon to form a coarse crumble. 2 Spread out the crumble in an even layer on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 15 mins until golden, with larger clusters of crumble formed. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, stir through the nuts. 3 Next, make the crumble flling. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, then add the sugar and vanilla, and give everything a good stir. Tip in the apple and cook for 5 mins, stirring constantly, until the apples have turned into a thick purée. Once the apples have broken down, add the rhubarb and ginger. Stir well, then simmer for 5 mins until the rhubarb has just begun to soften. Pour the flling into a bowl and leave to cool. return the lamb necks to the pan along with the merguez sausages. Cover with a tight-ftting lid and cook for 2 hrs. Can be braised a day ahead and left to cool. 5 Remove the hotpot from the oven and place overlapping slices of turnip and celeriac on top, pressing the frst couple of layers into the sauce to absorb all of the delicious juices. Return the hotpot to the oven for 11/ hrs until bubbling and golden.
2 Serve at the table with mashed potato and pickled red cabbage. PER SERVING 618 kcals • fat 41g • saturates 16g • carbs 15g • sugars 5g • fbre 8g • protein 42g • salt 4.1g Don’t slice your turnip and celeriac until ready to use, otherwise they’ll discolour. If you’ve got a mandolin, it’s useful here to get an even thickness and neater fnish. 4 Once ready to eat, divide the crumble flling into six individual pie dishes, or one larger dish if you prefer, then top with the crumble topping. Can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge or frozen. To reheat from frozen, cook for an extra 15 mins until piping hot throughout. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 mins, until bubbling throughout. Serve with the clotted cream. PER SERVING 705 kcals • fat 33g • saturates 16g • carbs 87g • sugars 53g • fbre 8g • protein 10g • salt 0.5g Tom will be appearing at Good Food Shows in 2016 in Harrogate, Birmingham and London. Visit for full details.
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