Hairy Bikers Beef Curry Hotpot Recipe

This Hairy Bikers beef curry hotpot lays thin potato slices over curried braising steak and carrots, then crisps them in the oven. Since the Our Family Favourites recipe serves 4, I’d put each portion near 710 calories with the cheese, ready in about 2 hours.

It grew from an earlier “cracking Indian shepherd’s pie”, which got Si and Dave wondering “why not a beef curry with a lovely potato topping?” So unlike most hotpots, the potato slices steam over the curry on the hob first, under butter spiked with cumin seeds, garlic and green chilli.

Everything hangs on slicing the potatoes very thin, since they get just 30 minutes over the curry before the oven. For that I use a mandoline at about 2mm, since in my experience thicker slices stay firm in the middle.

Hairy Bikers Beef Curry Hotpot Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Indian Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 25 minutesCook time:1 hour 40 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:2 hours 5 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:710 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Pure comfort for four, as the bikers put it, with the curry steaming its own potato lid. Then a hot oven turns the slices golden, and skipping the Cheddar makes a lighter plate.

Ingredients

For the curry

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 20 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 15g root ginger, grated
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 600g braising or stewing steak, diced
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 large carrots, sliced into rounds
• 500ml well-flavoured beef stock
• 1 tbsp HP sauce (optional)
• salt and black pepper

For the potato topping

• 25g butter
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, very finely sliced
• 800g floury potatoes, very thinly sliced (peeling optional)
• 100g Cheddar, grated (optional)
• a few coriander sprigs, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Fry the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish, then add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add the onion and sauté until lightly golden and softening. Then stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
2. Brown the beef: Next, toss the steak with the flour and season with salt, then dust off the excess. Add it to the dish and fry over a high heat until browned, then stir in the tomato purée and curry powder.
3. Simmer the curry: Add the carrots and pour over the stock, stirring to clean the base of the dish, then add the HP sauce if using. Season, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Make the spiced butter: While the beef simmers, heat the butter in a small frying pan and cook the cumin seeds for 30 seconds. Then stir in the garlic and green chillies and take it off the heat.
5. Add the potatoes: Take the lid off and arrange the potato slices over the curry, then season with salt and pour over the spiced butter. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. While they simmer, preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
6. Crisp in the oven: Sprinkle over the cheese, if using, and the coriander, then bake uncovered until crisp and browned. In my oven that takes about 20 to 25 minutes.

FAQs

Will the beef be tender after just an hour?

The beef gets 30 minutes before the potatoes go on and about 30 more after, so roughly an hour on the hob. In my experience stewing steak can still be a bit chewy then, so I test a piece before the potatoes go on.

If it needs longer, I give the curry another 20 to 30 minutes first, which pushes the whole thing nearer 2½ hours. For comparison, their Mama’s beef curry with yoghurt simmers diced braising steak for at least 1½ hours.

Which potatoes should I use?

For the mash on their Indian shepherd’s pie in Veggie Feasts, Si and Dave suggest Maris Pipers or King Edwards, so I use those. And since peeling is optional here, I leave the skins on.

By contrast, their Lancashire hotpot with black pudding layers sliced potato right through the lamb neck, then bakes it.

Is HP sauce really in it, and which curry powder?

Yes, though it’s optional, 1 tablespoon stirred in with the stock, and I find it adds a fruity, vinegary tang.

The recipe only lists curry powder, so I use a medium shop-bought blend, though there’s a homemade medium curry powder in Everyday Winners.

Is there a vegetarian version?

Not of this one, but their Indian shepherd’s pie in Veggie Feasts is close, with a vegetable and lentil curry under spicy mash. Plus it goes vegan with plant-based milk and no butter or cheese, as the bikers suggest.

For a meat version with a similar lid, their One Pot Wonders shepherd’s pie layers sliced potatoes over lamb mince with cinnamon and red wine.

Can I make it ahead or freeze it?

I make the curry the day before and chill it, then bring it back to a simmer before the potatoes go on. And the curry base freezes well for me, as long as the potatoes are added fresh on the day.

I keep leftovers for 2 days in the fridge and reheat portions at 180°C/Fan 160°C for 20 to 25 minutes, until piping hot. But I wouldn’t freeze it with the topping on, since thin potato slices tend to turn watery once thawed.