Irish Stew
The heart of Irish cooking — tender lamb, potatoes, and onions in a simple, soul-warming broth.
Comfort Food
Family Friendly
One Pot
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb shoulder, bone-in, cut into large chunks
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled (3 diced small, 3 cut in large chunks)
- 3 large onions, thickly sliced
- 3 carrots, thickly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 litre lamb or chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- 1 Layer in a large heavy pot: onions on the bottom, then half the small-diced potatoes, then lamb pieces, then carrots, then large potato chunks on top. Tuck thyme and bay leaves between layers. Season each layer with salt and pepper.
- 2 Pour in stock. It should nearly cover everything — add water if needed.
- 3 Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover tightly.
- 4 Simmer for 2-2.5 hours. Do not stir — the small potatoes will dissolve into the broth and thicken it naturally, while the large chunks on top stay intact.
- 5 Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Taste for salt.
- 6 Serve in deep bowls, sprinkled with parsley, with crusty bread to soak up the broth.
About This Recipe
Irish Stew is Ireland's national dish and the definition of honest, unpretentious cooking. Lamb (traditionally mutton), potatoes, onions, and carrots — simmered slowly until the potatoes dissolve into the broth and the lamb falls apart.
Purists insist on just three ingredients: lamb, potatoes, and onions. No carrots, no herbs, no thickener. The potatoes do the thickening naturally as they break down. This version adds carrots and thyme because they make it better. Fight me.
