Betty's secret hotpot

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 3. Melt the dripping over a high heat in a heavy-based frying pan until the fat smokes.

2. Add in the lamb and continue frying until nicely browned. Remove the pieces from the pan to a deep casserole dish.

3. Turning down the heat to medium, fry the onions in the pan juices, adding a little more dripping if necessary.

4. When the onions are soft and starting to brown, sprinkle on the flour and stir in to soak up the fat and the juices.

5. As the flour paste starts to colour, start adding stock a few tablespoons at a time, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps.

6. Gradually add the rest of the stock, bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, adding the Worcestershire sauce and seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

7. Pour the onion gravy over the browned lamb and mix well, tucking in the bay leaf.

8. Arrange the potatoes over the meat in overlapping layers, seasoning each layer with salt and freshly ground pepper.

9. Dot the top layer of potatoes with the butter, cover the dish and place on the top shelf of the oven to bake for 2 hours.

10. Uncover the casserole dish and bake for a further 30 minutes. If the potatoes are not golden brown at this point, turn up the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes, or finish under the grill, brushing the potato slices with more butter if they look dry.

11. Serve the hotpot straight from the oven with red cabbage and chips.