This authentic Irish Stew recipe doesn't take much preparation time but it makes a really tasty meal. The amounts of meat and veg can be varied to suit your taste.
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4 lamb chops (see below
ingredients for more details and alternatives)
4 medium potatoes
4 medium carrots
4 medium onions
Sprig of fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
450 ml / ¾ pint of lamb stock (hot water and two lamb stock cubes)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 good shakes of Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrins)
1 tablespoon of Pearl Barley (optional)
50g / 2oz butter
50g / 2oz flour
Salt and pepper
PREPARATION TIME
: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME
: 1h hour 10 minutes
DIFFICULTY LEVEL
: Easy
FREEZE
? No
SERVINGS
: 4 portions
COOKING EQUIPMENT
: 1 large oven proof dish
PREPARATION
Wash the courgettes, slice off the top and bottom tips then cut the
courgettes into slices, roughly 1 cm / ½in thick.
Peel the potatoes then
cut them into small cubes (roughly 1cm / ½in).
Peel the onion the slice it.
Peel and finely chop or crush the garlic.
Finely chop the chives and parsley.
COOK'S NOTES FOR IRISH STEW
We have prepared it here in the 'authentic' way using lamb chops
but we also prepared it later with chunks of lamb loin which made a very good
Irish Stew. Beef is another alternative to lamb with excellent
results. The vegetables used are traditionally onion, potato and carrots
but almost any winter vegetable can be used as well.
We used lamb chops (rack end chops to be specific). The good thing about chops is that they have some bone on them which enhances the flavour of the Irish Stew as it cooks. However, chopped up lamb is a very good alternative.
For this Irish Stew recipe you will need an oven proof dish with a lid - a plate over the top of the dish will do fine.
Trim some of the fat from
from each of the chops and put the fat in a medium heated frying pan. This will
melt some of the lamb fat for use in the next couple of steps.
Set the
oven on at 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4.
Chop up the onions into
rough chunks. Peel the potatoes and cut each into 4 parts. Scrape the
carrots then cut into larger than normal chunks. Click on the picture to
enlarge it for an idea of how big to chop the vegetables.
Irish Stew is
a rustic menu and part of its charm is that the ingredients are kept in
large chunks. Saves on preparation time as well!
After 5 to 10 minutes,
remove the fatty pieces from the frying pan and throw them away. Fry each
lamb chop in the fat for about three minutes at a medium temperature - turn
half way through.
Enlarge the picture on the left for an idea of
how browned the lamb chops should be. Put the lamb chops in the casserole
dish and fry the carrots and onions in the remaining fat for two minutes - turn
frequently.
Put the onions and carrots over the lamb chops in the casserole
dish. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire Sauce
(Lea & Perrins), the pearl barley and the lamb stock.
Finally add the potatoes on top, don't mix them in with the other
ingredients. The aim is to let them be steam cooked over the other
ingredients. Add some more salt and pepper to season the potatoes.
Put the casserole (covered) in the pre-heated oven and cook for 1 hour.
Roux is a mix of 50 / 50 butter and flour which will thicken
the gravy in the casserole dish. It can be used to thicken all
sorts of sauces as well.
Melt the butter on a medium heat in a
pan, then whisk (or vigorously fork in) the flour. Cook for 2
minutes whisking all the time to prevent it sticking to the bottom
of the pan.
Take the casserole dish from the oven and pour off most of the
gravy into the pan of roux (be careful, the casserole dish will be
hot).
Mix in the thyme.
Quickly blend the gravy and roux together with your whisk or
fork. Add the thickened gravy back into the casserole and scatter
the top with the parsley. Check the seasoning and add salt and
pepper if necessary.
Put the casserole dish (covered) back in the oven for ten minutes. Serve
onto hot plates. No other vegetables are needed, they are all
cooked and ready in the one casserole dish!
Any red wine will go
well with Irish Stew, but a glass of Guinness is probably the best
accompaniment of all!
A traditional Irish stew is NOT thickened. It maybe very tasty but it's not traditional.
Other than that, it is a good recipe. Use old leg bones to get the flavour into the stock without using stock cubes. Try browning them first to give some colour.
Not Given
27 September 2010
From: Dave Perry
Really easy Irish Stew recipe to follow. I added some
mushrooms and a tiny bit of spinach, it worked a treat! It takes a while
longer than the hour to cook , mine was nearly 2 hours for the potatoes
to soften but to be fair I was not shy when i added all the
ingredients. Will definitely be cooking that and any other recipes from
this site.
11 October 2010
From: Not Given
Well I made this last night for my husband and he really
seriously loved it! Did not change a thing in the recipe, followed as
shown above! It WAS yummy!!! :)
9 November 2010
From: Fatroland
Question: Are you
supposed to put a lid over the casserole? Answer: Yes, we have added to the
instructions to say the casserole dish should be covered. Thanks for
your question, it has helped us improve this recipe.
20 November 2010
From: Tanya
Delicious. After several failed stew attempts in the
past, I was pleased to say this Irish Stew recipe was a complete
success. I used organic diced lamb and left on a low heat in a slow
cooker overnight. The results were very full tummies after 2nd helpings
all round. Thank you very much.
Not Given
25 November 2010
From: Not Given
Question:
Can you use stewing lamb for the recipe? Answer: Yes, although I would
increase the initial cooking time from 1 hour to about 3 hours and at a
lower temperature (150C) to make the stewing lamb tender.
22 February 2011
From: Tony Egan
I made this stew for the 1st time today, we all loved it me my wife + 5
kids ate it all. easy recipe to follow, u have to try it.
28 March 2011
From: Tojo Melville
My mother used to cook Irish Stew but the gravy was made with cornflour
and milk and therefore a white meal with carrots and peas providing the
colour. I have never seen a white Irish Stew so I wonder if she was
right? Comment: There's not really a
"right" way, just what tastes best for you. The recipe on this page is
traditional so your mother was making a variant of it. The cornflour
would thicken the gravy so that's quite common but the addition of milk
is unusual. Maybe she was trying to make the stew as nutritious as
possible.
14 July 2011
From: Lesley
Great easy to follow. Had to cheat and use beef as my partner
doesn't eat lamb but it worked perfectly. The wine was a good extra!
9 July 2011
From: Kourtney Wells
Awesome recipe my family love it, I have made it several times now.
25 July 2011
From: Margy
I was so homesick for this and cooked it and walla, just like my
Scottish gran used to make. We just loved it.
30 September 2011
From: Not given
This recipe was awesome!! Although had already roasted a leg of lamb
the day before, I took the bone out, cut the fat off, then cooked the
fat again rendering down my onions etc., then boiled the bone with meat
on for sometime to finally get my lamb stock, which turned out
perfect!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Not Given
20 October 2011
From: Not given
I have not yet made this recipe but find it attractive. Can it be prepared, cooked and left overnight, then reheated for a lunch party the following day? I should be glad of your advice. Answer: Yes, it can be left in the fridge overnight
and then heated through the next day.
Nina
3 November 2011
Can I change Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrins) on something else, it really difficult to find Answer: Yes, the Lea and Perrins is there just to
give some extra background taste. Either you can leave it out or add
something like half a teaspoon of paprika which will slightly warm the
Irish Stew. I know many might disagree but a teaspoon of balsamic
vinegar (definitely not normal vinegar) will lift the flavour slightly.
1 November 2011
From: Debra
Wow! I've just made this Irish lamb Stew and it just tastes like me Nana Baxter's! She would make a stew just like this for all us grandkids back in the 1980's!
18 November 2011
From: Not Given
Waste of chops! Stew should be with neck, odds n ends. Cook for longer, and it makes it's own stock. I'd certainly have a bay leaf in, and probably other herbs but in moderation.
8 January 2012
From: Not Given
Thanks for this recipe, your gravy was beautiful. I always have troubles with that part but not now. Thanks.
11 March 2012
From: Not Given
Waste of chops???! Reading that comment was a waste of
ten seconds that I cannot get back! Add your herbs and shut your mouth!
This stew is excellent the way it is!
13 March 2012
From: Not Given
Great recipes thanks.
18 March 2012
From: Memully
Delicious. Though I'd add more potatoes and carrots next time.
01 April 2012
From: Mike
Just about perfect but have it with fresh crusty type bread, yummy.
30 September 2012
From: Threestar
Waste of chops? Get back to Lidl you insect. This recipe is lovely. Lets see some of yours and let us comment on them.
18 October 2012
From: Not Given
Love this recipe made this many of times now and it's a big hit with the family, nice on those winter nights with some fresh crusty bread.
12 March 2013
From: Breda
Superb recipe, Irish stew exactly how it should be, thanks very much for the recipe - well explained. And yes, crusty bread is the ideal partner for this.