Justin Woods, head chef at The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, and Greenhouse restaurant
My gran used to make a wonderful bacon hotpot but I don’t have her recipe. Does chef have one I could try?
Debbie Sutherland, Carnforth
I haven’t made bacon hotpot for years, but you’re right, it’s an amazing dish, real autumn comfort food. Peel and slice 800g of potatoes, boil in lightly salted water for about six minutes. Drain well. Dice a 300g piece of smoked back bacon, removing the rind of necessary. Peel and thinly slice 3 large white onion. In a large casserole dish, start layering up your hotpot, starting with onions, then bacon and then the potatoes, try to get 3 layers of each. Season each layer with salt and generous amounts of freshly milled black pepper. Add about 200ml good chicken stock to the casserole, then sprinkle over about 75g grated Lancashire cheese. Place a lid on top then bake at 160C for about 50-60 minutes, then remove the lid for a final 15 minutes to get a fantastic golden brown colour.
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