Welsh lamb hotpot

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Toss the lamb pieces in seasoned flour and brown them in a large casserole dish with half the butter over medium heat, then remove and set aside. In the same dish, soften the onions, carrots and celery in the remaining butter until golden. Layer the browned lamb with the vegetables and potato slices, seasoning each layer with salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Pour the hot stock over everything until just covered, then top with a final neat layer of overlapping potato slices, dotted with a little butter. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours until the lamb is tender and the potatoes are cooked through. Remove the lid for the final 20 minutes to allow the potato topping to brown lightly. Serve hot directly from the casserole.