A warming, comforting dish which will be loved by the whole family. This Easy Minced Lamb and Sweet Potato Hotpot is dairy & egg free and can also be adapted to be made gluten free too!
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When the weather is cold outside, warm and hearty comfort food is what you need and it doesn’t get much better than this!
This easy minced lamb and sweet potato hotpot makes a welcome change to the humble Shepherds Pie and if you have an oven proof casserole dish, can all be made in one pot!
I have adapted this recipe from the traditional Lancashire hotpot, which uses white potatoes and kidneys. My kids won’t eat kidneys as these can be an acquired taste, so I have left these out and swapped the white potato for the sweet potato.
Minced lamb is mixed with hearty vegetables and herbs, then topped with sliced sweet potato for an easy one pot family dinner. Serve up with some braised red cabbage or gluten free cauliflower cheese.
If you love potato topped pies why not also try my Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom Pie with Potato Topping.
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🍅 Ingredients Needed
- Lamb mince - I have used minced lamb as this is a cheaper alternative to the tradition neck of lamb, however you can use the same amount of the lamb cut diced into small squares. If you have any leftover lamb from a roast dinner, this can also be chopped into small pieces and used.
- Sweet Potato - This is thinly sliced into rounds to provide the topping for the hotpot.
- Onion
- Carrots - Carrots pair nicely with lamb and they can be chopped finely to hide in the hotpot if you have fussy eaters!
- Peas - Frozen peas or petit pois are added to help you reach your 5 a day!
- Lamb Stock Pot- The Knorr Lamb Stock pot is free from the top 14 allergens. (Please always double check packaging)
- Plain Flour - This can be substituted for gluten free flour, this would then make the recipe gluten free
- Dried Thyme - This lifts the flavour of the sweet potatoes.
- Bay Leaf - I have a bay tree in my garden which is so handy as I can pick them when needed for a recipe to intensify the flavour. You can also buy dried bayleaves
- Olive Oil
Scroll to the recipe card for quantities.
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
✏️ How to Make Easy Minced Lamb & Sweet Potato Hotpot
Chop the carrot and onion - I prefer to finely dice the carrot as as my children are fussy with their vegetables, however feel free to leave them bigger.
Heat an oven proof casserole dish on a medium heat and fry off the carrot & onion in some oil. If you don’t have an oven proof dish that will work on your hob, just use a saucepan and then transfer the mixture into a casserole dish before putting in the oven.
Once soft remove the carrot and onion from the pan and set aside.
Add the lamb mince to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and pan fry until browned.
Once the lamb is browned, drain the fat from the pan into a bowl.
Add the carrot and onion mixture back into the pan with the minced lamb along with the peas. No need to defrost them beforehand as they will cook in the oven.
Stir in the flour, then add the stock and bayleaf to the pan.
Stir again and let the mixture cook out for a few minutes allowing the sauce to thicken.
Season with some black pepper, you probably don’t need salt as the stock is quite salty, especially if you are serving to young children.
Meanwhile, peel and slice the sweet potatoes. The thinner you slice them the crispier they will become, around ½ cm is good.
If you are using a different pan, transfer the mixture to your oven proof dish.
Arrange the sweet potatoes over the top of the mixture in a fan pattern. Sprinkle some dried thyme over the top of the sweet potatoes and bake in the oven until bubbling and the potatoes have crisped up. About 35-45 minutes depending on your oven.
💡 Top Tips!
- Do not pour the lamb fat down the sink as it can block your pipes. Leave the fat in the bowl until set and then discard in the bin.
- Don’t forget to remove the bayleaf before eating!
⚡ Variations & Substitutions
- Potatoes - If you prefer you can use a standard white potato like a Maris Piper.
- Lamb - The mince can be substituted for diced neck of lamb. You can also make this dish with beef mince and a beef stock for an alternative take on a cottage pie.
- Gluten Free - I have used normal flour in the recipe below, however you can easily swap plain white flour for a gluten free flour like this one from Doves Farm and the recipe will be gluten free.
🔪 Equipment
🍱 Storage
The hotpot will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Re-heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave or in the oven at 200˚C for around 15 minutes until piping hot.
This is a great recipe to batch cook and then freeze in individual portions in a freezer proof lidded Tupperware dishe. You can even cook the dish in individual oven proof ramekins and then freeze them in the ramekin dishes once cooled.
The minced lamb hotpot will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost in the fridge overnight and then re-heat in the microwave or oven until piping hot.
💬 Recipe FAQ's
You need to be really careful with stock cubes / stock pots as a lot of them contain milk, gluten and celery.
I always use the Knorr stock pot’s. The lamb stock pot is free from the top 14 allergens!
(Again, always double check all packaging as ingredients can change) .
According to the Cambridge dictionary:
A casserole is “a dish made by cooking meat, vegetables, or other foods in liquid inside a heavy container at low heat, or the heavy, deep container with a lid used in cooking such dishes"
A hotpot is “a mixture of meat and vegetables, sometimes including sliced potatoes, cooked slowly in a covered dish inside an oven, or in a special heated pan “
So the main difference is that a hotpot is traditionally topped with sliced potato with both being cooked in a covered dish in an oven or slow cooker.
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Easy Minced Lamb & Sweet Potato Hotpot
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb mince
- 1 onion finely diced
- 150 g carrot approx 3 small finely diced
- 100 g peas
- 400 ml lamb stock Knorr Stock Pot
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon flour can be substituted for gluten free flour
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 300 g sweet potato thinly sliced into rounds about ½cm thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C / gas mark 4 and boil the kettle.
- Finely dice the carrot and onion.
- Heat an oven proof casserole dish on a medium heat and fry off the carrot & onion for 3-4 minutes in the olive oil. If you don’t have an oven proof dish that will work on your hob, just use a saucepan and then transfer the mixture into a casserole dish before putting in the oven.
- Once soft, remove the carrot and onion from the pan and set aside.
- Add the lamb mince to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and pan fry for around 5-6 minutes until browned.
- Once the lamb is browned, drain the fat from the pan into a bowl.
- Add the carrot and onion mixture back into the pan with the lamb, then add the peas to the pan.
- Stir in the flour, make up the stock then add to the pan along with the bay leaf. Season with black pepper.
- Stir again and let the mixture cook out for a few minutes allowing the sauce to thicken.
- Meanwhile, peel and slice the sweet potatoes into rounds about ½cm thick.
- If you are using a different pan, transfer the mixture to your oven proof dish.
- Arrange the sweet potatoes over the top of the mixture in a fan pattern
- Sprinkle some dried thyme over the top of the sweet potatoes and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until bubbling and the potatoes have crisped up.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!