Like everyone else, this has felt like the longest of lockdowns – hours stretch into days, days into weeks and so it goes on and on…. and on. But despite the boredom, there has been some good come from all this. I’ve got to know my neighbours a lot more than before. Running errands for the shielded, ordering microwaves for the digitally unconnected and hanging out on my balcony getting blutered with my next door neighbour. The less said about that last chapter, the better.
As I naturally cook enough to feed the 5000, I’ve been sharing my food among the neighbours, and the following went down a treat. It may seem an odd one to have while the heat is up, but at the end of the day it’s meat and potatoes and it tastes absolutely fantastic.
The key to this dish is don’t tell people that there is haggis in it. People turn their nose up at the idea of haggis without having actually tasted it. It brings a manageable peppery fire to the dish with an earthiness that is deeply satisfying.
To get the potatoes really thin, I used a Swiss potato peeler (pic below) – it makes the spuds go further while producing wafer thin slices which really bind this dish together.
This is a one-pot dish, so if you have a casserole dish that works on the hob, in the oven and as a serving dish… perfect!
Music to listen to while preparing this dish: ‘Star Maker’ by the Kids of Fame
Ingredients
- 800g Lamb mince
- 800g Potatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 Large onions, sliced
- 2tbsp Dijon mustard
- 350g MacSweens Haggis, crumbled
- 330ml Lamb/chicken stock (warm)
- 1tbs Thyme leaves
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil
- Melted butter
Method
- It’s a low-n-slow cook for this dish, so preheat your oven to 160 degrees (fan).
- Heat some olive oil in the pan (not too much as both the lamb and the haggis will produce more fat) and brown off the lamb mince and season with your salt and pepper.
- Once browned, remove the lamb then sauté the onions in the lamb juice, season with a little salt and pepper (being mindful you’ve already seasoned the lamb). After about 10 mins they should be soft, golden and translucent – it’s at this stage you need to add the thyme leaves, the cooked mince and mix well. Remove the mix from the pan and remove the pan from the heat.
- It’s time to bring this bad boy together… In your pan add a layer of your thinly sliced potatoes. On top of this scatter over one third of your lamb mix, getting an even spread. Then crumble over this one third of your haggis mix. When you have an even layer, dot the lamb landscape with some of your Dijon mustard. Top off with another layer of your wafer thin potato slices.
- Repeat until you have three layers of mince mix and then top it off with a final layer of potatoes.
- Gently pour over your warm lamb stock and bake, covered, for 90 mins.
- After 90 minutes, remove the cover from your hotpot and brush the top layer of the with your melted better. Be brave, slather it on and pop the dish back in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.
- After this 30 minutes, the top of your hotpot should be crisp and golden and ready to serve. And you should be hungry enough to polish off a good portion of it.
As mentioned at the top – it’s a great sharer should you be in the mood to share but it also keeps for days and tastes great when warmed through.
I like a lightly chilled Les Volcaniques Brouilly to cut through the richness of this dish – it’s one of those Beaujolais that while packing a punch (14%) chilling it makes it more palatable.
Pug's Kitchen 