Magic Potato

When people mention the UK to Chinese, what do they think about? POTATO! Exactly. In Chinese's eyes, potato is one of the symbols to represent the UK. Fish and Chips has been nominated as national food of the UK in most people's eyes.  Moreover, in most foreigners' mind, potatoes=chip is a unchangeable mind set.

Mind set is very common. Although I always tell myself, never define sth before you really understand, I also experienced a mind set. In last September, I did my first couchsurfing in Edinburgh. My host is very kind to pick us up in the midnight. However, the first sign I saw them, I almost chickened out. My host and her flatmate are huges fan of punk. They worn a very strong punk make up which remind me of Edward Scissorhands. Also I've my host has few scars on her arm and I thought she probably has been hurting herself for a long time.

I calmed myself down and keep talking to them to try to know more about my host. I found they are actually very very warm-hearted and easy going. They told us where to visit in the city, some places worth to have a meal inside. I stayed with them two days and this experience becomes one of my good memories.

Never judge sth, like potato, before you tried them. I found potato is so magic since I start to follow Terry's Recipe to make a Lancashire hotpot, I changed my mind.

On the top of the hotpot, the potato is half dried, they tastes like crisps. The potato in the bottom are so creamy(I didn't put any cream at all). It is completely amazing. I don't really like carrots in the past as well but the Lancashire hot pot make the carrots melted in between with onions and lamb. I can't say more about this hotpot. I have been stealing my hotpot yesterday when it is done and finished a quarter before I went to bed. YumYumYum!!!

TODAY'S DISH: Lancashire Hotpot

Preparation:
1. 100g salted butter
2. 900g lamb mince(easy to go~plus I did not put kidney because I don't like eating organ)
3. 4 pretty and cute carrots. Sliced.
4. 25g plain flour
5. 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce(suppose to have this but I don't have it. So I use honey, soya sauce and vinegar to  replace it)
6. 500ml chicken stock(I bought a chicken soup powder to make it easy, otherwise it might takes 2h to make a stock)
7. 900g potato, peeled and sliced(nacked potato xxx)
8. 2 bay leaves
9. 1 tbsp dried thyme
10. 1 tbsp dried rosemary
11. 1 onion, cut in small pieces

Steps:
1. Melt the salted butter in the pan and cook lamb mince until it turns brown. move it in a plate
2. use the rest of oil to fry the onion pieces for 2-3 mins.
3. Put 25g plain flower into the plan and mix them with onions.
4.turn off the heat and put 1 tbsp dried thyme, 1tbsp dried rosemary and 2 bayleaves. Mix them together. Add tiny salt and pepper(depends on if you want it be salty or less salty)
5. Put the slice potato in the bottom first, them cover the potato with lamb mince. Above the lamb mince, we removed the onions and ingredients on the top. Cover the onions with sliced carrots. Put sliced potato on the top.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
7. Bake the Lancashire Hotpot for 1h15min, get it out and brush the top with melted butter.
8. Put back to the oven and bake for 30 mins until the potato topping is golden-brown.

Enjoyyyyy!