Ingredients

• 6 lamb chops
• weighing approximately 500g/1lb 2oz in total
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large carrot
• roughly chopped
• 1 celery stalk
• trimmed
• roughly chopped
• 1 large onion
• roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 litre/1¾ pints beef stock
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 100g/3½oz butter
• melted
• 2 large floury potatoes
• such as Maris Piper
• sliced into 1cm/½in-thick discs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.
• Season the lamb chops with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat
• then fry the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes on each side
• or until browned all over. Transfer the lamb chops to a medium casserole.
• Fry the carrot
• celery and onion in the same frying pan for 4-5 minutes
• or until coloured and softened.
• Stir the flour into the vegetables and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes
• or until the flour turns a biscuit colour.
• Pour in the beef stock and stir well until the liquid has thickened and there are no visible lumps of flour.
• Transfer the vegetables and thickened stock to the casserole. Add 7 thyme sprigs and the bay leaf
• then bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat until the mixture is just simmering.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat.
• Arrange the potato slices on top of the hotpot
• overlapping the edges slightly. Brush the potato slices all over with the melted butter. Sprinkle the top with a few thyme leaves from the remaining sprig of thyme.
• Bake the hotpot in the oven for 1-1½ hours
• or until the potato topping is crisp and golden-brown and the vegetables are tender.