Upside-Down Hotpot

The hotpot is a funny dish – seeing as how it has nothing whatsoever to do with a pot. But it is tasty, although very meat-and-potatoes unfashionable.

Something I was reading by Nigel Slater made me realise that I could adapt the recipe a little for an almost no work midweek supper. He had written that he liked nothing better than to roast a joint on top of a mound of potatoes and veg for a simple and satisfying meal.

Then, at the store, I noticed that leg of lamb (boneless) was cheaper than every other cut of meat except chicken. We are all tired of chicken at my house. Very tired. So I got a 1 3/4 pound boneless leg of lamb and dreamt up the upside-down hotpot.

Upside-Down Hotpot

Small butterflied leg of lamb

Two pounds of potatoes

Small head of cauliflower

half bottle white wine (or red if that’s what you have)

handful of rosemary and mixed herbs

olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Then, slice all the potatoes very thin (using the mandoline you got as a present if you like) and put them in the bottom of a roasting tin. Toss them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Break the cauliflower into tiny florets and stir them in. Trim all the fat you can off the lamb and rub it with a little oil, salt, pepper and the rosemary and mixed herbs. Lay on top of the potatoes. Pour half the wine into the tin. Put in to roast for three and a half hours. Halfway through, mix up the vegetables and turn the lamb over and pour on the rest of the wine.

Serve with salad or greens.

The lamb comes out soft and tender from the slow roasting/steaming.