With tender chunks of beef and smoky bacon cooked in rich beef stock and topped with thinly sliced potatoes this slow cooker hotpot is comfort food at its best.
Hotpots in any form are the perfect winter warmer, and this really is a hug in a pot. I suggest using beef stock with a splash of red wine here, if you have some to hand – or forgo the wine and just use beef stock.
SERVES: 6
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 7 hours
INGREDIENTS
- ESSENTIAL: Slow cooker
- 1kg braising steak, diced
- 8 smoked streaky bacon rashers, roughly chopped
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme, plus extra leaves to garnish
- 2 onions, chopped
- 500ml beef stock
- 500g potatoes, thinly sliced (leave the skin on)
METHOD
-
Brown the beef in a hot frying pan in 1 tablespoon of oil for 2 minutes, then add the bacon and cook everything for another few minutes.
-
Once the beef is seared and the bacon golden, add the beef and bacon and all the other ingredients, apart from the potatoes, to the slow cooker and season well with salt and pepper. Cook on high for 3–4 hours or low for 6–7 hours.
-
For the last hour and a half of cooking, add 2 heaped tablespoons of cornflour blended with 2 tablespoons of water to the slow cooker and mix in. Then layer the thinly sliced potatoes on top, season with black pepper and allow them to cook in the slow cooker.
-
Once the last hour and a half is up, brush the top of the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil and place the ovenproof slow cooker pot under a hot grill for 10–15 minutes, or until the potatoes start to go golden. Serve immediately, garnished with extra rosemary or thyme leaves.
This soup might only have six ingredients, but Nathan's trick of quickly pan-frying the bacon until golden before adding to the slow cooker really packs in the flavour.
A six ingredient dessert made in the slow cooker? You can't get easier than that! Bored of Lunch's Queen of Puddings recipe is one to save for winter weekends.
As seen on This Morning, this flavour-packed air-fryer chicken fried rice from Bored of Lunch is a healthy alternative to a classic takeaway dish. Best of all, it will be on the table in just 30 minutes so it's ideal for busy weeknights.
This ultra-speedy lunchtime dish packs crispy air fried pittas with a fresh sweet chilli mayo prawn cocktail.
Meatballs, cooked in a rich marinara sauce, are topped with melted cheese and piled into crusty rolls in this easy air fryer recipe from Bored of Lunch.
This vegetarian slow cooker spicy tomato tortellini and chilli soup from Bored of Lunch is an easy dish for cold days.
This easy slow cooker recipe from Bored of Lunch combines chilli con carne with macaroni cheese for the very definition of healthy comfort food.
The delicious pasta recipe from Nathan Anthony that's gone viral around the world.
