Irish Stew
I remember making this dish so many years ago in culinary school back in my home town of Newcastle. It’s so appropriate to make it for the boys this coming St. Patrick’s Day.
Irish stew is a Lamb and root vegetable stew native to Ireland. As in all traditional folk dishes, the exact recipe is not consistent from time to time, or place to place. Basic ingredients include lamb, or mutton (mutton is used as it comes from less tender sheep over a year old, is fattier, and has a stronger flavor, and was generally more common in less-affluent times), as well as potatoes, onions, and carrots. Irish stew is also made with kid goat but never made with “British Beef”. But in these days of equality who cares as long as the dish turns out amazing and everyone enjoys it. So feel free to use your favorite cut of meat.
A little bit of history:
*Saint Patrick’s Day, feast day (March 17) of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned about 432 to convert the Irish to Christianity. By the time of his death on March 17, 461, he had established monasteries, churches, and schools. Many legends grew up around him—for example, that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and used the shamrock to explain the Trinity. Ireland came to celebrate his day with religious services and feasts.
*It was emigrants, particularly to the United States, who transformed St. Patrick’s Day into a largely secular holiday of revelry and celebration of things Irish. Cities with large numbers of Irish immigrants, who often wielded political power, staged the most extensive celebrations, which included elaborate parades. Boston held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1737, followed by New York City in 1762. Since 1962 Chicago has colored its river green to mark the holiday. (Although blue was the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick, green is now commonly connected with the day.) Irish and non-Irish alike commonly participate in the “wearing of the green”—sporting an item of green clothing or a shamrock, the Irish national plant, in the lapel. Corned beef and cabbage or Irish stew are associated with the holiday, and even beer is sometimes dyed green to celebrate the day. Although some of these practices eventually were adopted by the Irish themselves, they did so largely for the benefit of tourists.
*Written By: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Last Updated: Feb 18, 2020
Irish Stew
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2lb lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks, (Or mutton, goat or dare I say beef)
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 large carrots, washed and chopped
4 cups low in sodium stock (if you like replace with 2 cups of Guinness for 2 cups of stock, to add a new level of flavor)
Maldon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2lb potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ inch rounds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pre-heat oven to 360’f
How to make:
Place a large ovenproof saucepan over a high heat on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and brown the lamb in batches so the pan isn’t too full. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the onions, celery and carrot and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
Mix the lamb with the vegetables and season with salt and pepper, pour over the stock. Arrange the sliced potatoes over the top of the lamb. Dot the potatoes with butter, place on lid or cover tightly with foil.
Bake for 1 hour, then remove the lid or foil and bake for a further 15 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and golden-brown. Serve in soup bowls.