Irish Stew

And so I have made this again. Since one person's medium is another person's small, some adjustment on ingredients. Six large carrots, yes. Either 3 large onions or 4 medium will be plenty (and I love onions). I have always found yellow Yukon potatoes best for boiling (Russets for baking), and 5 medium halved then cut in wedges will do the trick. And finally at least 3 sprigs thyme.

For those of us on a low-carb diet, substitute yellow turnips for the potatoes. In fact, even if you are not a on a low-carb diet, if you want to reduce your white starch intake, yellow turnips are a great substitute for potatoes on most recipes.

I made this stew tonight, using beef broth. I added a splash of red wine--well, a generous splash--and also a few shakes from the Worcestershire Sauce bottle, and otherwise followed the recipe. I mashed the potatoes in my bowl into the broth, as I ate, and couldn't believe how sweet the carrots tasted. Then, although I was full, I had more.

To thicken the sauce dredge the meat in flour and then brown. No need for thickening after the stew is done as the flour in the meat gently thickens the sauce while it cooks. The same technique goes for any type of meat when you make a stew, soup or stove top meal that has a cooking sauce.

Great recipe. I added a bottle of dark beer and used homemade chicken broth. The broth was not thick at the end, but delicious. I substituted parsnips and turnips for half the potatoes. Cooked it for two hours. Use lamb with some bones for at least part of the meat, which give a great uncious consistency.

Russets are starchier than Yukon golds and will thicken the stew more.

Make it with water. No fancy shmancy stock or wine. That's the irish way

Interesting! Both editions of my Joy Of Cooking say that the lamb is not browned, that Irish stew is like a French blanquette. But Googling "Irish Stew" turns up a host of recipes, all of which brown the meat. Joy cuts the potatoes 2 ways: sliced and quartered, letting the sliced ones break down for thickening. Some recipes suggest 2 types of potatoes: starchy to thicken and waxy for solid pieces. Joy also adds heavy cream toward the end of cooking, really making the stew white!

Try adding parsnips in place of some of the potatoes. I love the sweet-tart flavor they add to this. They take a bit longer to cook than carrots or potatoes but well worth it. (And my family in Ireland does it this way!)

Very tasty. Since I am cooking for one, I used 1 pound of lamb and reduced the amount of onion, carrot and potato proportionately. Next time I'd use less potato and more carrot simply because I prefer that balance.

This recipe is pretty perfect. If you want to add a little red wine and a little Worcestshire sauce (as others have suggested) go ahead, but skip the the slurry of flour. I'm a big guy with a hearty pallet, but the flour really made this thin rich sauce thick and bland. Next time I make this, I am going to eat it with a spoon and enjoy the broth.

Half the recipe: I bought half the lamb but kept the broth (I used beef) amount the same. 2 carrots, Used russet and turnips 1 1/2 lbs total. Seriously one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten

In Ireland the meat is not normally browned (that would make it a stew rather than an Irish stew) nor is this stew cooked in the oven however it’s a pretty accurate recipe. Irish potatoes are floury so our version is not consommé clear like in the photo but it’s what tourists here get as they expect it from recipes like this. If you’re using lamb shoulder 1tbsp of oil will be plenty. We use gigot chops here instead. I recommend adding the carrots about 30 mins before the end.

Thanks! This inspires me to make it the next freezing day we have. Mom used turnips, not onions, and the lamb was leg of mutton (raan) cut in chunks, leaving the bone in. She'd brown whole peppercorns, clove, and a cinnamon stick, brown an onion, bay leaf, then the lamb, and brown it. Then simmer it in lightly salted water until the meat was half tender. THEN she would add the carrots and turnips and another couple of onions, chunked coarsely, so that they weren't all mushy.

I've been making something very similar to this for years. I usually can't use lamb. My friends love it, but the family don't go for lamb. I sub out beef, veal, or venison. Venison is my favorite. I use beef bones for stock (if venison I use those bones).
I stage everything in a Lodge Dutch oven. Brown the meat, remove. Deglaze with red wine and allow the vegetables to sweat I add a little flour to thicken modestly.