Pan Haggerty Potato (Northumberland English)

Pan haggerty, by any other name, is known as potato bake or casserole. The dish is a famous British food from Northumberland, although it can be found across the whole of northeast Britain, and most of England, too. A filling dish, pan haggerty is excellent with sausages or any meat and even delicious on its own. Most will know it as a potato gratin, but a dauphinoise it is not, because there is no cream in the recipe. This pan haggerty recipe uses just potatoes, onions, and cheese but sometimes it also is made with a little bit of cabbage as well.

4 oz butter, divided
9 oz onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb large potatoes (like Russet or Idaho), peeled and thinly sliced
4 oz aged cheddar cheese , grated
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Over medium heat, melt 1 oz of the butter in a large frying pan and gently cook the sliced onions until soft, but not browned.

In an ovenproof frying pan or stovetop casserole, melt half the remaining butter.

Remove the pan from the heat and then arrange a layer of potatoes in the pan. Add a layer of onions. Sprinkle on a layer of cheese. Season with salt and pepper and repeat the layers ending with potatoes on top.

Place the pan over medium heat on the stovetop and cook for a few minutes, or until the bottom layer of potatoes are brown.

Dot the surface of the potatoes with the remaining butter, then place in the heated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Raise the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7) and, when the oven has gotten up to temperature, return the pan to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes.

To serve, loosen the edges of the potato cake from the frying pan with a spatula.

Flip the pan over quickly onto a plate or a breadboard.