Gourmet Lancashire Hotpot Recipe (2024)

1

First, prepare the beer braised co*ckles. Wash the co*ckles under cold running water and then soak for 2-3 hours to remove as much dirt as possible, changing the water every 30 minutes. Strain and set aside

2

Place the washed co*ckles, sliced shallot, thyme, beer and celery in a bowl. Place a large saucepan over a high heat until very hot. Have a matching saucepan lid ready for the next step

3

Tip the contents of the bowl into the hot pan and quickly put the lid on. Allow the liquid to come to the boil and cook for 1 minute, or until the co*ckles have just started to open

4

Immediately pour the co*ckles into a colander set over a bowl to catch the liquid, then allow to cool

5

Pick out the co*ckles, removing the skirts, then wash the co*ckles and chill. Cover and refrigerate until required. Pass the co*ckle liquor through muslin cloth and reserve for the co*ckle gel and the carrot and potato cake

6

To make the carrot and potato cake, slice the carrots and potatoes to 2mm thick. Vacuum pac the sliced vegetables with 25g of the beer and co*ckle stock, herbs, fat and salt. Cook in a water bath at 80°C for 2 hours

7

Whilst still warm, remove from the bag and layer up the carrot and potato on a square piece of parchment paper, alternating the vegetables and dusting a thin layer of potato flour between each slice. Once layered and still warm, slice carefully into rectangles and place into a clean vacuum bag. Compress on the maximum pressure

8

Prepare the sweetbreads by soaking in milk overnight to remove the impurities. Remove and dry thoroughly on kitchen towel before peeling the membrane from each sweetbread

9

Dust with a generous amount of meat glue to coat each sweetbread and layer across a large sheet of catering grade cling film. Roll carefully and tightly so there are no air bubbles, forming a 3cm thick ballotine. Tie off each end to seal

10

Cook the ballotine in a water bath at 63°C for 45 minutes, then cool in an ice bath to refresh. Once cool, remove and refrigerate until required

11

For the braised lamb neck, heat a little vegetable oil in a large frying pan until very hot. Sear all sides of the lamb neck until evenly golden brown. Remove and set aside

12

Add a dash more oil to the same pan and caramelise the carrot, onion and garlic until dark golden brown. Add the wine, bring to a gentle boil and reduce by half

13

Add the necks back to the pan along with the stock, marjoram and pepper. Place into a preheated oven at 150°C/gas mark 2 for 2-3 hours or until tender and the meat is just falling off the bone

14

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to just above room temperature in the liquor. Carefully lift the neck from the liquor and strain the contents of the pan through a fine chinois into a clean pot. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil and reduce to a thin, gravy-like consistency

15

Remove all the meat from around the neck, ensuring there are no bones. Arrange the meat along the length of a large piece of cling film and roll into a neat 2cm thick ballotine. Tie off the ends and freeze until firm and the red cabbage gel is ready

16

Once frozen, remove and cut into 5cm lengths. Then, remove the cling film and skewer onto co*cktail sticks. Return to the freezer until ready to dip in the cabbage gel

17

For the co*ckle gel, slowly sprinkle and whisk the Ultratex into the reserved co*ckle liquor until it has thickened enough to be piped. Refrigerate until required, but remove before serving to bring up to room temperature

18

For the clear potato discs, boil the Ratte potato with its skin on, then remove and peel while still hot

19

Blitz the warm potato in a food processor until smooth, then place a small amount of the purée into a small vacpac bag. Roll through a pasta machine on the penultimate setting to form a very thin sheet of purée

20

Cut the sides of the bag off and carefully peel one layer of the bag away, leaving the sheet of purée intact. Stamp circles into the sheet with a pastry cutter and dehydrate the sheet until fully dried

21

To prepare the cabbage gel coating for the lamb neck, carefully sprinkle the two gellans and the xanthan into the beetroot and cabbage juices and whisk very well until fully incorporated, avoiding clumping. Transfer to a small pan and bring to the boil, adding small amounts of the vinegar to taste

22

Dip the frozen lamb neck ballotines into the boiling liquid a couple of times to build a decent layer of gel, then set aside to chill

23

For the lamb loin garnish, heat a cast iron pan over a low-medium heat, remove any sinew from the loin and place fat-side down in the pan. Allow the fat to render down from the loin for 3-5 minutes until golden. Turn to achieve the same colour on the other side

24

Place in a preheated oven set to 180°C/gas mark 4 for 8-10 minutes. Remove and leave to rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing into 4 even portions. Season before plating

25

Before serving, reheat the carrot and potato cake in an 80°C water bath for 10 minutes

26

To finish the sweetbreads, remove from the cling film and pat-dry with paper towel. Then, pan-fry in oil until golden and crispy on the outside

27

Deep fry the potato dics at 180°C for 10 seconds and drain on kitchen towel. Season before plating

28

To plate, remove the carrot and potato cake from the bag and place into the centre of each plate. Warm the lamb neck rounds under a medium-hot grill in a small tray with a splash of water and a covering of cling film

29

Place the seared sweetbread and lamb loin garnish at one end of the cake, followed by small pipings of the co*ckle gel. Finally, add the beer braised co*ckles, lamb neck, potato crisps, micro-cress and a drizzle of the braising reduction. Serve immediately