Irish Lamb Stew

Here in New Hampshire, in the middle of October, Autumn has definitely arrived. And of course along with the season comes the colder weather, and nothing warms you up like a nice, hearty stew.

Leafing through my collection of recipes, I decided to start my journey with my adaptation of the Irish Stew recipe by David Tanin, courtesy of the New York Times. I’ve cut back a bit on the potatoes in my version of the recipe, and I’ve also increased the cooking time, which results in a more tender lamb.

For the broth, nothing beats homemade, but if you’d rather not go through the extra work to make a homemade broth, preparing chicken stock by using Better-Than-Bouillon, as I did today, works just fine.

This is a single-pot meal, prepared entirely on the stove top.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds lamb shoulder cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 pounds onions (about 6 medium), cut in wedges
• 1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), cut in 3-inch lengths
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken, veal or beef broth (or water)
• 1 large sprig thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved, or cut in 1-inch thick slices

 

Instructions

Pat lamb dry and season well with salt and pepper. Put oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides, working in batches.

Set meat aside and add onions, garlic, and carrots to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook vegetables, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add in the white wine and simmer until it evaporates.

Return meat to pot, add broth and bring to a simmer. Put in thyme sprig and arrange potatoes on top (it’s fine if potatoes are not completely submerged). Season potatoes, cover the pot, and simmer for about an hour.

Remove fat from the top of the broth. Ladle stew into shallow bowls and serve.