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Irish Stew warms up St. Patrick's Day
Irish stew makes a wonderful end-of-winter dinner. The lamb is not browned like in traditional beef stew. This technique of not browning the meat is also used in a French blanquette or in á blanc cooking. The potatoes for the stew are cut in two different ways. Those that are sliced break down during the long cooking and thicken the stew without the addition of flour. The halved potatoes cook to a tender stage and add a pleasant, soft bite to the stew. A boiling potato, that is high in moisture and low in starch works best. An all-purpose potato can be substituted. A heavy Dutch oven helps to create perfect cooking environment for this rich stew, as it goes from cook top to oven.
Irish Stew
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4 to 6 servings
The potatoes in this recipe are cut in two different ways because they serve different purposes. The sliced potatoes break down and thicken the stew without the addition of flour. The halved potatoes cook just to tender and add soft bite to the stew. As in a French blanquette, the meat is not browned here.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat in a Dutch oven over medium heat:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
Add and cook, stirring, without browning, until softened:
2 medium onions, chopped
Stir in:
3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes, or 3 pounds lamb shoulder chops
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 3⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper
Stir in:
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 cups chicken stock or broth, dark stout, or water
Add:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and stir in:
4 medium carrots, cut diagonally into slices
Cover, return to the oven, and bake until the meat is forktender, 45 to 60 minutes more. Skim the fat from the top of the stew, and season with:
Salt and black pepper to taste
Serve sprinkled with:
Chopped parsley