Recipe: Beef and Shallot Hotpot

Nom nom nom. I can make perfect Hotpots now that I have my lovely little Le Creuset casserole. This serves 3 nicely, but whenever i make it for me and my boyfriend we end up eating it all and practically lick the pan clean, lol. Last time I made this, I came home from the pub- to be honest- a little drunky, and ended up eating this with a serving spoon out of the pan, haha!! So nice though, seriously, you gotta try this.

Beef and shallot hotpot (serves 3)

3 tbsp olive oil
500g stewing/braising beef
60g butter
8 shallots, peeled and halved
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp sugar
100ml red wine
300ml beef stock
2 tsp corn flour, mixed with a little water
½ tsp dried thyme
450g peeled and thinly sliced potatoes

1. Turn Oven to 180C. Season the beef with a little salt and pepper. In a casserole, brown the seasoned beef in the olive oil (in 2 batches) and set aside.
2. Add the shallots, garlic and sugar to the pan along with ½ of the butter. Fry for about 5 minutes until a little caramelised.
3. Add red wine, stock, thyme, and stir well (making sure to scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan). Add the reserved beef and corn flour mixture, and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the stew has thickened up nicely.
4. Layer the sliced potatoes on top of the stew. Dot the rest of the butter evenly across the top, put the lid on the casserole and put in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and place under a hot grill for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes on top have become golden and crispy. Serve!