Hot Pot

I was telling a friend of mine who was born and raised in Lancashire, England about mince and mash. She said that when she was growing up, her nanny fixed "hot pot." She said it had cubes of meat in the bottom, and was layered with onions and carrots, with sliced potatoes on top. So, I had to Google the recipe, and here is my version. It is referred to as "Lancashire Hot Pot." Traditionally, it calls for lamb, but you can use beef. Since I didn't have any lamb on hand, I used beef. I cubed the beef (about 2 pounds) and put a layer in the bottom, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then sliced two large onions and layered them on the top. On top of that I put two thickly sliced carrots and about half a pound of white mushrooms, quartered, again with a pinch of salt and pepper. I sprinkled a bit of dried thyme over them, then put a layer of sliced potatoes - about two pounds - on top of it all. I then poured about a cup and half of chicken broth over all and put in a 400 degree F. oven. After about an hour I put a lid on the pot and let it cook for another hour. Then I made some brown gravy and poured it on top of all when it came out of the oven. It was excellent. Much like a cross between beef stew and pot roast with vegetables. Very easy, and very tasty.