Meat · Recipe · Ireland · Reference page

Irish stew

Name: Irish stew
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 900 g lean neck of lamb, or mutton pieces; 1 pinch dried thyme; cold water, enough to cover the meat; 450 g onions, peeled and chopped; 450 g carrots, peeled and chopped; 450 g potatoes, peeled and sliced; salt and pepper

Lamb or mutton neck simmered in water with thyme, then cooked on with onions, carrots and potatoes until the potatoes thicken the broth. The quantities here are from an RTÉ recipe; Escoffier gave a layered, carrot-free version in 1903.

Location: Ireland · Pictured: Colcannon, Navarin d'agneau printanier, Shepherd's pie

Servings: 4
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 2 h
Total: 2 h 20
Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Large saucepan or casserole with a lid

Servings4

Ingredients

900 glean neck of lamb, or mutton piecesNeck chops on the bone give the richest broth.
1 pinchdried thyme
cold water, enough to cover the meat
450 gonions, peeled and chopped
450 gcarrots, peeled and chopped
450 gpotatoes, peeled and slicedFloury potatoes break down and thicken the broth more than waxy ones.
salt and pepper

Shopping list

Method

Put the lamb or mutton in the saucepan with the thyme and cover with cold water.
Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for one hour. Skim off any scum that rises.
Why Starting in cold water and heating slowly gives a clearer broth.
Timer · 1 h60:00
Add the onions, carrots and potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Put the lid on and cook slowly for one more hour, until the meat is tender and the potatoes have begun to collapse into the broth.
Timer · 1 h60:00

To drink & serve with

Stout
Editorial suggestion: a glass of Irish stout.

Substitutions

Carrots → Leave them out for Escoffier's version: 1.25 kg breast and shoulder of mutton, 1 kg potatoes and 4 large onions in layers, 0.75 l water and a bouquet garni, covered in a gentle oven for 1½ hours.

Common mistakes

Boiling hard: the meat toughens and the broth turns cloudy and greasy.
Adding the potatoes at the start: they disappear completely.

Storage & reheating

Cool quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 2 days. Reheat once, until boiling.

Safety

No major allergens in the base recipe. Long-simmered lamb is far above safe cooking temperatures; cool and reheat leftovers with care.

Allergens

None

Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

Dietary

gluten-free · dairy-free

A stew of the cheapest cuts

Irish stew is made from the neck and breast of lamb or mutton, cuts with plenty of bone and fat, and from potatoes and onions. It was well enough known abroad for Escoffier to include an Irish-Stew in his 1903 Guide culinaire: 1.25 kg of boned breast and shoulder of mutton layered with 1 kg of sliced potatoes and four large onions, covered with three-quarters of a litre of water and cooked gently in the oven for an hour and a half. He noted that the potato serves as both garnish and thickener.

The home recipe published by the Irish broadcaster RTÉ is simpler still: meat simmered alone for an hour with thyme, then vegetables, including carrots, for another hour. Escoffier used no carrots; RTÉ adds them.

[1][2]

Two stages

Cooking the meat first, alone, gives it a head start: neck needs about two hours to soften, the vegetables only one. The potatoes go in for the second hour, long enough for some slices to break up and thicken the broth without any flour.

[2]

How it connects

Place

origin Ireland In preparation

Style

pairs with Stout