While looking through Mamaw’s recipe file recently, I
stumbled across a favorite from my childhood. And it was written in my mom’s
handwriting!
Hot Pot was a big hit growing up. It’s a layered dish of
potatoes, onions and hamburger, and I pretty much stuffed myself each time Mom
made it. So I was thrilled with my discovery.
One glitch: The recipe is meant for an electric skillet and
I don’t own one. So I thought I’d give it a try with my Jamie Oliver T-Fal three and a half-quart
stainless-steel deep saute pan and lid instead. (This has been my go-to skillet for years!)
It worked!
The recipe had to be adjusted a little bit, but not anything
drastic. The primary change was cutting back on the amount of broth I used. One
of the reasons I loved this dish was the bottom layer of potatoes would get
nice and brown in the electric skillet, but the liquid didn’t evaporate on the
stove top like it must have in the electric skillet—at least from what I
remember as a kid. It’s been years since I had this dish. (I’ve provided both
the electric skillet and stove-top directions in the recipe.)
And instead of using hamburger, I tried it with pork sausage
from a local butcher. It was wonderful! So feel free to make this quick and
easy meal for dinner or breakfast/brunch!
Hot Pot
1 1/2 pounds hamburger or breakfast sausage
4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced1 large onion, thinly sliced
Beef broth for hamburger, or chicken broth for sausage
(1 cup for the electric skillet recipe, 1/2 cup for stove top)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the electric skillet: Place 1/3 of the sliced potatoes
in the bottom of the electric skillet. Add 1/2 of the hamburger/sausage, and
then 1/2 of the onion. Layer another third of the potatoes on the onion, and
then the rest of the hamburger/sausage and onion. Finish with the final third
of the potatoes on top. Pour in the broth, and the sprinkle the top with the
parsley, salt and pepper. Cook at 250 degrees until the potatoes are tender,
about 1 hour.
For the stove top: In a deep skillet with a lid, brown the
hamburger/sausage over medium/high heat until just done. Remove from the
skillet and set aside. With the skillet off the heat, layer in the ingredients
as directed above. Place back on the heat and bring the broth to a simmer.
Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30
to 45 minutes. If the broth evaporates before the potatoes are done, add a
little more. If the potatoes are tender but there is still broth in the pan,
remove the lid and allow the liquid to evaporate.
