Beef Hotpot, a hearty and nutritious meal made with tender beef that melts in the mouth, veggies and gravy, and topped with sliced potatoes. This one-pot meal goes down well with the whole family, making dinner time the best time of the day.
This dish is inspired by the famous Lancashire Hotpot, which traditionally was a stew cooked slowly over a low fire and consisted of mutton and onions topped with sliced potatoes.
There are different variations of this classic dish, that has been adapted to today's taste and cooking techniques, but no matter what kind of meat you use, the end product is the same filling dish that can feed the whole family.
I absolutely love stews of all sorts, although the traditional beef stew will always be my favourite. Throw in any vegetables that you have around, and you get the best dinner you can possibly wish for.
And with colder days knocking at the door, comfort food is making its way back onto our tables again. And to me, a steaming bowl of hotpot is what happiness is all about in the cold season.
HOW TO MAKE BEEF HOTPOT
There is no secret that I don't like mutton/lamb/goat or anything sheep related. That's just not for my taste buds and stomach. Beef on the other hand makes the best alternative, and this hotpot is just perfect the way it is.
- in a large pan, heat up the oil, add the butter and allow it to melt
- season the beef cubes with salt and butter, and brown it in batches
- remove from the pan and set aside
- add more butter if necessary, and fry the onions until soft, then throw in the peeled and chopped garlic and carrots, together with the browned beef
- pour over the beef stock/broth, add the bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree, and gives it a good stir
- if your pan is not ovenproof, transfer everything to an ovenproof dish, and topped with the thinly sliced potatoes
- cover with kitchen foil, and cook in the oven for 50 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius (340 Fahrenheit), then remove the foil, increase the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit), and cook for a further 15 minutes until the potatoes become golden
TIPS AND TRICKS
For this dish I used rump steak, which is a tender meat and cooks a lot quicker than the traditional stewing beef cubes that are chewier, and have to be cooked slowly for longer in order to tenderise them.
If you do use the stewing beef, make sure you leave it to cook for at least 1 ½ hours until you remove the foil, if needed, leave it to cook for longer. The sliced potatoes act like a very good lid, so the steam doesn't escape, and the beef and vegetables can cook very well.
There is nothing worse than uncooked vegetables or chewy meat, so getting this hotpot right is crucial. If necessary, lower the temperature to cook it for longer, but that should be ok with the amount of stock used.
I used a mandolin to ensure all the potato slices have the same thickness, and they cook evenly, although a sharp knife could make a decent job too - just be careful how you handle that!
Fancy a more traditional stew? Why not try my Irish Beef Stew with Guinness? It's absolutely divine. Or my Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes, which is a very good dish to try in Autumn. Do give them a go!
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Beef Hotpot, a hearty and nutritious meal made with tender beef that melts in the mouth, veggies and gravy, and topped with sliced potatoes. This one-pot meal goes down well with the whole family, making dinner time the best time of the day.
- 600 g rump steak
- 3 potatoes
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 carrot
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup beef stock/broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
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Cut the steak into cubes.
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In a large pan, heat up the oil, add the butter and allow it to melt.
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Season the beef with salt and pepper, and brown it in batches.
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Remove from the pan and set aside.
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In the same pan, fry the peeled and chopped/sliced onion until soft, then add the garlic and carrot too.
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Add the browned beef back to the pan together with the beef stock, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree.
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Give it a good stir.
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Peel the potatoes, and use a mandolin to slice them (alternatively use a sharp knife to slice them thinly).
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If the pan is not ovenproof, transfer everything to an ovenproof pan, and arrange the sliced potatoes over.
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Cover with kitchen foil, and bake in the preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius (340 Fahrenheit) for 50 minutes.
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Remove the foil, increase the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) and bake for a further 15 minutes until the potatoes and golden, and the beef and veggies are tender.
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Garnish with fresh parsley if you like.
- If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
- Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.
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