Lancashire Hotpot with Bear and Canada Goose Offal

Name: Lancashire Hotpot with Bear and Canada Goose Offal
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 10 min
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 600 g Cubed bear meat; 200 g Canada goose hearts and gizzards cleaned and chopped; 30 ml All-purpose flour 2 tablespoons, to coat the meat; 30 ml Sunflower oil 2 tablespoons (or duck fat); 1 unit Onion yellow, thinly sliced; 2 unit Garlic clove minced; 2 unit Carrot sliced into rounds; 200 g Wild mushrooms chanterelles, oyster mushrooms or boletes, cleaned and sliced; 15 ml Spruce tips fresh or dried, 1 tablespoon (to taste); 15 ml Fresh thyme 1 tablespoon or a few sprigs; 2 unit Bay leaf; 500 ml Game stock or poultry stock, homemade preferred; 250 ml Veal stock; 125 ml Red wine to deglaze; Salt to taste; Ground black pepper to taste, freshly ground; 4 unit Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold, peeled and thinly sliced; 30 ml Melted butter 2 tablespoons, for brushing; Fresh thyme a few leaves, optional

The English miners' hotpot, made with what the hunt brings home.

Prep40 min

Cook3 h 30

Yield3 to 4 servings

DifficultyIntermediate

theuplandcook.com/en/recipes/lancashire-hotpot

Ingredients

Meat and offal

600 g — Cubed bear meat
200 g — Canada goose hearts and gizzards (cleaned and chopped)
30 ml — All-purpose flour (2 tablespoons, to coat the meat)
30 ml — Sunflower oil (2 tablespoons (or duck fat))

Vegetables and aromatics

1 — Onion (yellow, thinly sliced)
2 — Garlic clove (minced)
2 — Carrot (sliced into rounds)
200 g — Wild mushrooms (chanterelles, oyster mushrooms or boletes, cleaned and sliced)
15 ml — Spruce tips (fresh or dried, 1 tablespoon (to taste))
15 ml — Fresh thyme (1 tablespoon or a few sprigs)
2 — Bay leaf

Liquids

500 ml — Game stock (or poultry stock, homemade preferred)
250 ml — Veal stock
125 ml — Red wine (to deglaze)
Salt (to taste)
Ground black pepper (to taste, freshly ground)

Topping

4 — Russet potatoes (or Yukon Gold, peeled and thinly sliced)
30 ml — Melted butter (2 tablespoons, for brushing)
Fresh thyme (a few leaves, optional)

Steps

01Coat the meat in flour
In a large bowl, toss the bear cubes and the offal pieces with the flour, then shake off the excess. This thin coating will help thicken the stew as it cooks and gives a nice color when you sear.
02Sear the meat and offal
Heat the oil in a cast-iron Dutch oven or large skillet over high heat. Sear the bear and the offal on all sides, in small batches so you don't crowd the pan. You want a real golden crust, not boiled meat. Remove and set aside.
03Sweat the vegetables
In the same pot, lower the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic and carrots. Sweat for 5 to 6 minutes until everything starts to color. Add the wild mushrooms and continue 5 minutes until they release their water and reabsorb it.
04Add spruce tips and deglaze
Add the spruce tips and stir for 30 seconds so the aroma soaks into the vegetables. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to lift the browned bits. Let it reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
05Simmer covered
Return the meat and offal to the pot. Add thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Pour in the game stock and veal stock, until the meat is well covered. Bring to a simmer, then lower to gentle heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour 30 minutes on the stove (or in a 325°F oven). The meat should start to give but still hold its shape.
06Build the Hotpot
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Transfer the stew to an oven-safe dish wide enough to spread a single layer of potatoes on top. Arrange the potato slices in a rosette or overlapping fish-scale pattern. Brush generously with melted butter, season with salt and pepper, scatter with thyme.
07Bake covered then uncovered
Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue baking 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are deeply golden on their edges and you can hear the stew bubbling quietly under the crust.
08Serve straight from the dish
Pull from the oven and let it rest 5 minutes. Serve straight from the baking dish with a big spoon, keeping the contrast between the crispy potatoes on top and the tender stew below. Some watercress or arugula on the side lightens things up.

Lancashire hotpot fresh from the oven, butter-glazed potato slices arranged in a rosette over a bear and Canada goose offal stew