Chilli Beef Hotpot

If you’re wondering what a hotpot is, by this point I believe it’s just a meat base with sauce/gravy then topped with sliced potatoes. Traditionally you’d see lamb hotpots, sometimes beef. But today we’re doing a MINCED beef hotpot, because it’s way too easy and delicious not to. Follow me…

Beef Chilli

I kinda got this idea off the back of my Chicken & Chorizo Potato Bake. Turns out that topping most things with potato and whacking it in the oven makes an outstanding dinner. The way the potatoes soak in all the flavour of what’s underneath is a method too good not to repeat.

Homemade Chilli

Usual stuff – minced beef, kidney beans and a bunch of other goodies. The ‘spice’ aspect comes from good old chilli powder. I use hot, but you can use mild if you’d prefer. I typically simmer chilli for a good hour and a half, but since this is going to get baked in the oven, an initial 15mins simmer is all you need. You don’t want to simmer it too long because it’ll thicken too much and completely dry out in the oven. Process shots: fry red pepper and onion (photo 1), fry garlic (photo 2), fry beef then add tomato puree (photo 3), fry (photo 4), add chopped tomatoes, stock, kidney beans, Worcestershire sauce & spices (photo 5), stir then simmer (photo 6).

Beef Hotpot

Isn’t it pretty 🥹 The slicing of the potatoes is slightly tedious work, but all worth it I promise.

What kind of potatoes should I use?

I love using baby potatoes. I find larger potatoes don’t cover the beef as well and tend to take longer to cook through. No need to peel the potatoes! Just thinking about peeling a bunch of baby potatoes is making me feel wheezy…

Double Baking

The first initial bake will be with foil at a lower temp. This will trap the steam and start cooking the potatoes through without them burning. They’ll also start sucking up the sauce underneath at this point too. The second bake is at a higher temp WITHOUT the foil. This is where they’ll cook right through and crisp up a little too. Process shots: top chilli with potatoes (photo 1), coat in seasoning and oil (photo 2), bake with foil (photo 3), bake without foil (photo 4).

Serving Chilli Beef Hotpot

When it comes to serving the hotpot, I highly recommend some sour cream. Not only to balance out the spice, but also to keep things nice and saucy. From there you could consider any of the following:

Avocado Cilantro/Coriander Cheese Lime

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chilli beef hotpot shall we?!