- 2 onions
- 1 leek
- 2 carrots
- 2 parsnips
- 500g potatoes
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 400g tin of butter beans
- 45g butter
- A handful of flat leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 400ml boiling water
- Vegetable peeler
- Ovenproof casserole dish with lid
- Measuring jug
- 1.
Prepare the veg^ Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Fill and boil your kettle. Peel and finely chop the onions. Trim the roots and top 3cm off the leek, then halve it, rinse out any grit and finely slice it. Trim and peel the carrots and parsnips, then chop them into bite-sized chunks.
- 2.
Make the hot pot^ Place an ovenproof casserole dish on a medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the chopped veg. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, pop on a lid and fry, stirring often, for 10 mins till the veg have started to soften and pick up some colour. If they brown too quickly or start to catch, turn the heat down and add 2-3 tbsp water.
- 3.
While the veg fry, scrub the potatoes and slice them into rounds around ½cm thick. If you have heatproof kitchen string you can tie the bouquet garni herbs together to make them easier to retrieve when the hot pot is cooked.
- 4.
Drop the bouquet garni into the pan. Crumble in the stock cube. Tip in the butter beans and the liquid from their tin. Pour in 400ml hot water from the kettle. Stir to mix, taste and add a little more salt or pepper if you think it needs it.
- 5.
Bake the hot pot^ Arrange the potato slices on top of the veg to make a lid, then dot over the butter. Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 30-35 mins.
- 6.
While the hot pot bakes, roughly chop the parsley leaves and stalks. When the hot pot is baked, ladle it into bowls, discarding the bouquet garni. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
- Tip
Get Ahead
You can slice the potatoes the night before you want to cook the hot pot and store them in a bowl or pan of water, covered, somewhere cool. It doesn't have to be in the fridge. When you're ready to bake the hot pot, drain them and follow the recipe. - Tip
Eat Me, Keep Me
The hot pot will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Divide into individual containers, cool then chill or freeze. Defrost overnight and reheat till piping hot, adding a splash more water or vegetable stock to loosen the veg.