How to Make Irish Stew
Make this Dish to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day or Any Day
Ballymaloe is the Celtic word for a traditional stew made of mutton or lamb created by the common folk in Ireland. The ingredients of Irish stew are the root crops that were prevalent in the area before the potato famine including potatoes and turnips. Sheep were raised in practically every household so this meat was cheap and easy for them to obtain.
When Irish people began to immigrate to the United States fleeing from starvation and the Potato Famine they adapted their ballymaloe to the new world. In the United States there was more beef than lamb so they used beef instead and added a few more common garden items to enhance the flavor.
Following are three recipes for Irish Stew. The first is a traditional stew, the second has more ingredients and is done in the oven, and the third is truly modern being cooked in a crock pot.
The following is a typical Irish Stew recipe. Note that there is no thickening agent in the dish. Irish Stew wasn’t thick like we think of today. Instead the meat and vegetables were cut very large. There weren’t many seasonings that were added either so at the end there is a small list of things you can add to this meager dish in order to jazz it up for our modern tastes.
Simple Irish Stew
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 large onions, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 – ½ pound lamb, cut into chunks
- 4 large carrots, unpeeled and cut into chunks
- 8 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Water
Directions:
- In a large heavy pan melt the butter and stir in the onion chunks.
- Sauté until slightly soft. Add the meat and brown on all sides.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, salt and pepper.
- Add enough water to just about cover the meat and vegetables.
- Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for about 1 hour.
- Serve hot.
The next recipe uses lamb, veal or beef as the protein and has herbs incorporated into the recipe to give it flavor. Instead of water chicken broth is used and it starts on the stove but is baked in the oven so be sure to use a large pan that has an oven safe lid and handle.
Oven Baked Irish Stew
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 – ½ pounds lamb, veal or beef cut in chunks
- 8 medium carrots, peeled and cut
- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered (you can make smaller if you wish)
- 1 – 16 to 20 ounce can of chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh snipped chives or 1 teaspoon dried chives
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme or pinch of dried thyme
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large oven safe Dutch oven or heavy pan.
- Add the onion and sauté until tender.
- Season meat with salt and pepper and add to pot browning all sides.
- Remove half the meat and reserve.
- Start layering remaining ingredients into the pot. Start with mixture in the pot, then place carrots on top.
- Add reserved meat then on top of that place the potatoes.
- Pour in the broth. Bring to a simmer and put the lid on.
- Transfer pot to the oven and cook for 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.
- Remove vegetables and meat with a slotted spoon and place into a serving platter.
- Add butter and herbs to the liquid ingredients in the pot and stir until butter melts.
- Serve by placing meat and vegetables in a soup bowl and ladling liquid over top.
Irish stew is sometimes served with a dumpling of sort. This recipe includes that for the dumpling and you can start everything up in the morning and come home and finish with the dumplings and have dinner ready in just minutes.
Crock Pot Irish Stew with Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 1 pound beef, cut into cubes (use round)
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup carrot, peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup turnip, peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup onion, peeled and chopped
- ¾ cup potato, peeled and diced
- 3 cups boiling water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Dredge beef into a mixture of the flour and salt.
- Heat oil in a skillet and brown the meat on all sides.
- Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
- Place all ingredients into the crock pot including browned meat.
- Do not stir.
- Cover and cook on Low for about 5 hours.
- Remove meat and vegetables from crock pot. Follow following recipe for dumplings.
Dumpling Ingredients:
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ tablespoon shortening
- ¼ cup milk
Dumpling Directions:
- In a bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder.
- Cut in shortening with pastry cutter or two knives until mixture resembles course meal.
- Gradually add milk and mix until you get a sticky dough that is smooth.
- Drop by tablespoons on hot liquid in crock pot and cover and cook on high for about ½ hour.
- Serve by placing dumplings on a platter (they should be firm but will still be a little doughy).
- Each person can put one in their stew bowl and place warmed meat and vegetables over top ladling liquid over everything.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a bowl of stew and stir it with your shillelagh. If you’re interested you can check out other St Patrick’s day recipes and learn how to make corned beef and cabbage to serve with colcannon or serve an entirely green dinner. In the mood for Irish Soda Bread? Click here.
luck of the Irish
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