900g best-end or middle-neck lamb, cut into large chunks
Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 bay leaf
2 onions, sliced
500ml lamb stock
200g new potatoes
Steps
Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
Begin with the potatoes. Stick a cocktail stick into the potatoes about a third of the way down. This will act as a barrier. Cut the potatoes widthways to give a sort of hedgehog effect - this is hasselback. The cocktail stick means that you won’t be able to cut too far down into the potato. Remove the cocktail stick and repeat with all the remaining potatoes.
Heat some dripping or butter in a large shallow casserole dish, brown the lamb in batches, transfer to a plate.
Fry the onions and carrots in the pan with a little more dripping until golden. Sprinkle over the seasoned flour, allow to cook for a couple of mins, shake over the worcestershire sauce, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Stir in the meat, thyme and bay leaves, then turn off the heat.
Arrange the hasselback potatoes on top of the meat, then drizzle with a little more dripping. Cover, then place in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are cooked.
Remove the lid, brush the potatoes with a little more dripping, then turn the oven up to brown the potatoes, or finish under the grill for 5-8 mins until brown.
