Recipe: Pan Haggerty

It’s a Geordie potato gratin, init.

But we’re not dealing in French classics here so let’s stick to the Northumbrian roots of this dish. Pan haggerty, (sometimes panhaggerty) is an old-school (18thC? 19thC?) dish with layered slices of potato, onion and cheese. Bit of a peasant food I suppose, low cost, low effort, make the most of what you’ve got and that. Pan haggerty is not to be confused with panackelty which is similar-but-different, and made with corned beef. That dish comes from more of a Sunderland/Durham origin, so perhaps I’ll try that next.

There’s a lot of variation out there — from the Hairy Bikers version with chicken stock, some with loads of vegetables, and even a slimming world version (LOL — with ‘bacon fat trimmed’ if you were wondering…). It’s a one pan wonder, that’s good for leftover stuff in the fridge.

Apparently from the French word ‘hachis‘ meaning to chop/slice, which makes sense as that’s about the entire skill of this dish. Obviously this dish is lot easier and more finessed with a mandolin! Not essential but those razor thin potatoes will make it extra crispy and satisfyingly textural. But do you really think the pit wives of the 20s had a mandolin? They probs cut it with their razor sharp grit and determination 💪🏻

Naturally a vegetarian dish, here’s two takes on the classic. One for today, and one with its origins in yesteryear.

Classic Pan Haggerty Recipe

Ingredients
2 tb vegetable oil (or lard/dripping)
500g (approx. 3 average sized) potatoes, peeled (waxy or floury is fine)
250g (approx. 2 medium sized) onions, peeled
100g cheese, grated (cheddar is fine, anything you have that will melt well)

Directions:

1. Slice the onions and potatoes as finely as you can manage/be bothered with.
2. Add oil/lard/dripping to a heavy frying pan, allow to melt over a low-medium heat.
3. Arrange the potato slices in a layer on the bottom of the pan, and then cover with a layer of onions. Season with salt and pepper, and cover with a layer of sprinkled cheese. Repeat, stacking another layer of potato, onion, and cheese.
4. Cover with a lid or tinfoil and allow to cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the bottom layer is browned.
5. When the potatoes are tender, place the pan under a hot grill for five minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbling nicely. Serve in the pan, sliced into wedges.

There you go. The OG is a frugal dish, so don’t go out of your way to source dripping, or use anything like gruyère. It’s a solid side dish for any roast meat, pulses, or perhaps as a replacement for a gratin with some lamb. It’s traditionally eaten as slices, straight out of the pan. I like it with some HP sauce and unashamedly ate the whole thing in one go.

But how can we do better? 

Pan Haggerty for the 21st Centruty

Ingredients
1tb butter
6 rashers good quality smoked bacon, sliced into 1cm strips
500g (approx. 3 average sized) potatoes, peeled (waxy or floury is fine)
250g (approx. 2 medium sized) onions, peeled
150g smoked cheese, grated (anything is fine, but I used some from Northumberland Cheese Co. )
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 carrot, peeled
150ml chicken stock
1tb chopped chives

Directions:

1. Fry the bacon until it renders its fat and crisps up, then remove and set aside both the bacon and the fat.
2. Add butter to the same pan and melt over a low-medium heat. Fry the onions gently until softened and starting to take on some golden colour. At this point, remove them and set aside.
3. Arrange the potato slices in a layer on the bottom of the pan, and then cover with a layer of the onions and some of the carrot slices. Season with salt and pepper, and 1/2 the garlic. Add a scattering of the bacon pieces. Repeat, to create layers of potato-onion-potato-onion-potato. Retain some of the bacon to garnish.
4. Pour the stock into the pan.
5. Cover with a lid or tinfoil. Allow to cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
6. When the potatoes are tender, sprinkle all of the cheese over the top layer.
7. Place the pan under a hot grill for five minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbling. Garnish with the chives, and the reserved bacon. Serve in the pan, sliced into wedges.

It’s a little more work, but the addition of smoked bacon makes a huge difference to the overall flavour of the dish. I like to top with a fried egg, and some bread for the juices. One thing to get right if the wetness of the dish — the finished potatoes shouldn’t be swimming in stock, but they shouldn’t be bone dry either. 

Hinnies (Whitley Bay) is the only place I have seen in Newcastle over the last few years that has had the dish on its menu. Their take on pan haggerty has a mustard cream sauce, poached egg, and some cabbage. Was great!

The dish is very adaptable and you could easily imagine adding any greens really, some sliced celeriac, swapping bacon for guanciale or even ‘nduja. Perhaps some shredded cabbage. Local food stylist Jill Weatherburn adds instead ham hock, and a leek, which I could go for. As before, it’s a good side for meat or hearty dishes, and I reckon this one has got a breakfasty hash vibe, so knock yourself out and add a double dose of HP sauce. 

Keep this classic alive. Hope you enjoy!