Chiddingly Hot Pot

PERIOD: Modern | SOURCE: Contemporary Recipe | CLASS: Not Authentic

DESCRIPTION: An all-in-one stew from the village of Chiddingly, Sussex

• 2 lbs. stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 Tbs. flour
• 2 Tbs. oil
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, sliced in rounds
• 3 cloves
• 1 Tbs. tarragon vinegar
• 1 oz. melted butter
• Approx. 2 cups beef stock

Dust the meat with flour and brown it in the oil in a frying pan over low heat. Remove the meat and fry the celery and onions in the same pan for 3 minutes.

Put a layer of onions and celery in the bottom of a deep casserole, then a layer of meat and after that a layer of potatoes. Season each layer with salt and pepper and add the cloves and vinegar. Repeat the layers and finish with a layer of potatoes. Brush them with the melted butter and add enough stock to reach just below the potatoes.

Cover the casserole and cook for 1 ½ hours. Remove the cover and cook for an additional ½ hour to brown the potatoes.

This is an all-in-one stew from Chiddingly, a village in Sussex.

Garmey, Jane. Great British Cooking: A Well Kept Secret. New York: Random House, 1981.