potted meat

A delicious way to use cooked ham that&#39;s easy enough for a quick lunch but impressive enough to serve to guests as a starter. Serve on toast or crusty bread alongside pickles.

Potted Ham

ham (see Recipe Note

g butter (salted or unsalted) (see Recipe Note

tbsp finely chopped parsley (or tarragon or chives)

salt and pepper

g butter (see Recipe Note

Shred or finely chop the ham, discarding any unwanted fat, skin and sinew.Place into the bowl of a food processor.Gently melt the butter in a saucepan (see Recipe Note #2 if you want to clarify it), then add it to the ham along with a grind of pepper.Switch on the processor and blend until just combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.Taste and add a little salt plus more pepper if needed.(Add any additional flavourings such as mustard, cloves, or mace at this point too)Blend again until your preferred smoothness is reached.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the chopped herbs.Divide between individual ramekins or dishes and smooth over the tops so they&#39;re level.If you want to be able to turn out the potted ham: line the ramekins or dishes with cling film before filling, or line a 1lb loaf tin to make one large potted ham.

For the toppingIn warmer weather, you may wish to chill the ramekins in the fridge for a few minutes before adding the melted butter topping.Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan (clarified as per Recipe Note #2 if liked) and pour over the top(s) of the ramekins or dish(es).Add a grind of pepper or more chopped herbs over the top if liked.

Put the ramekins or dish(es) in the fridge and leave until the butter on top has set.Can be kept in the fridge, covered for 3-4 days. Take out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving.

A traditional British food that&#39;s so simple you won&#39;t believe how delicious it is spread on crusty bread or toast. Seasoned, diced beef is left to slowly cook in butter until meltingly soft, then whizzed to a smooth paste.

Homemade Potted Beef

500 g stewing beef, diced (see Recipe Notes)

salt & pepper

beef stock

g butter, sliced

Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3

Put the beef in an ovenproof dish which has a lid. Season sparingly with salt but be generous with the pepper.Stir in 50ml of the stock.

Lay the butter slices over the beef to cover. Put the lid on the dish - if the lid isn&#x27;t tight-fitting, put a piece of foil over the dish before putting on the lid.

Put the dish in the oven and cook until the beef is very soft (3-5 hours).After 30-40 minutes remove the lid, stir to separate any pieces of meat that have stuck together, then replace the lid and return to the oven until done.

When the beef is very tender, remove the dish from the oven, take off the lid and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Tip the contents of the dish into a blender or food processor and whizz until smooth, adding as much extra stock as needed to loosen it. IMPORTANT: the potted meat will firm up a lot when cold so should be a rather loose mixture at this stage.Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Transfer the potted beef to individual ramekins, jars or one larger container, cover and leave to chill in the fridge.

Serve spread on crusty bread or toast, with pickles such as cornichons, onions etc. on the side.Should keep for 4 days in the fridge or can be frozen.Tip: if the cooled potted beef is firmer than you&#39;d like, beat in a little cold beef stock. It&#39;s also delicious pinged in the microwave for 12- 20 seconds which will soften and warm it.

I came across this recipe, I ve had potted meats before and Love them. So I decided to make this one. I am overjoyed with how it came out. I barely sprinkled any salt which I am glad but there was a saltiness before blending but afterwards the flavor was very nice. I will be making this again along with other potted meat and cheeses. Thank you so much.

As a child introduced to ham hock pressed to create sliced ham meat in sandwishes. I have recently decided that the ham hocks are now too expensive.. I cooked a prime rib dinner for my adult son, last night,, of course it was delicious, but there was a lot of this meat left over. Very familiar with potted meats i was thrilled to find your recipe..  I now have ramikins in the fridge with lightly weighted covers (as my nanny did it.)   I also make my own Piccallily, ususally annually.  As to a possible seasoning addition I would suggest Horseradish. Even in small amounts it lifts all flavours. ( I often add to soups)  Thank you for this recipe, kind regards, Jackie

This recipe made the most delicious potted meat I have tried yet. Thank you

Just once, as a child, my grandma served us a pasty ground roast beef sandwich spread on white bread. Ever since, I've had flashbacks to that wonderful taste and wished I could have it again. I've searched for a recipe for years, but never knew to look for it as "potted" meat. I am so thrilled to have stumbled upon your recipe. I can't wait to try it! It sounds like exactly what I have been dreaming about for the last 70 years or so!! Thank you so much for posting your recipe online!  ~Bev

Had some cooked  roast beef which husband was unable to chew so put in the food processor with your ingredients and he was quite impressed. Probably not as tasty as shin beef but it meant it wasn't wasted. Thank you for your inspiration

I hate waste. So when I do a load of bone broth in the slow cooker for 48 hours on low, the 'remnants' - beef, fat, etc. - get put into my spice grinder with some butter and simple seasoning. Thus out of some very inexpensive but quality beef bones and a bit of butter and time, a brilliant stock/broth and several ramikens of potted beef.

Followed the instructions and used the beef stock quite sparingly. Put most of the stock in at the end,a bit like making concrete,you can add it but can't take it out. Plenty of ground pepper,nutmeg and allspice. After cooling poured butter into the ramekins to cover and seal. Lid on after cooling and left in the fridge overnight. 
I can only say that it's better than shop bought. An absolute treasure of a recipe.  Five stars. Can't really take the credit,but I will. A fabulous find. Thank you so much.
Used my instant pot pressure cooker. 15 minutes at low then 15 minutes at high worked really well. 
Highly recommended.

I have been making this for many years now living in Australia we cannot buy anything similar here. If I may, I add a few anchovy fillets into the food processor before blasting, gives a real english authentic taste (not fishy at all) I got this tip from a great aunt many years ago, it adds a subtle saltiness, I've also found adding a little good olive oil aids spreading straight from the fridge.

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Potted Ham

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The most viewed potted meat recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine