by Pam

This recipe comes from the North East of England. I first ate this dish in a pub in Northumbria. It was delicious. Here is the basic recipe, consisting of three ingredients, potatoes, cheese, and onions. There are a few differing opinions on where the name originated, but the general view is that the name derived from the French word hache, meaning to chop.

This dish can be eaten on it’s own, or as a side dish with meats. For one person you will only need 4 medium potatoes, and one onion.

Pan Haggerty is cooked on the top of the oven usually in a heavy based skillet pan. A skillet pan has a flat base and gently sloping sides. Use a frying pan if you don’t have a skillet pan in the house. Also the recipe calls for the pan to be lidded or covered. I used tinfoil instead to cover the pan, and then placed a heavy baking tray on top.

Ingredients:

800g of potatoes

2 large onions

100 x 150g of cheddar cheese or similar.

Oil and butter

Method:

Prepare the potatoes and onions by slicing each very thinly. You will be surprised at the quantity this creates. Aim for the thinnest slice you can cut.

Grate the cheese into a bowl. Adjust the quantity to your taste.

Put the pan on to heat with two tablespoons of oil, and a knob of butter. Keep the heat under the pan to a minimum.

Place a third of potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Season if you wish. Follow with a layer of onions, then a layer of cheese. Keep layering, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Top with a few knobs of butter.

By the time you have finished layering, you will hear the potatoes at the bottom beginning to fry. Be careful as you cover the pan with foil, or a lid.

Note. There are variations of this recipe which include bacon, corned beef, or cabbage, but if you want a meaty version to cook in the oven, try Panackelty another North Eastern dish, which uses up left over meat.

Cook for at least 25 minutes. Test to see if the potatoes are cooked through. If necessary cook for a further 10 minutes. Finish off by putting the pan under a hot grill to brown the top.