Still under the influence of my trip to Belfast, I’m obsessing over everything that’s Irish. In February this year, a friend and I spent 4 days in Northern Ireland. Regardless to the fact that our trip was really short, we still got to see a lot and fell in love with the place and the people. I never thought that the Irish people were so friendly, and their accent is just so beautiful. The food was also amazing, we have tried different restaurants, pubs, and food markets. We’ve tried the soups, the stews, their famous soda bread and of course the Irish champ! Since both my friend and I are huge fans of mashed potatoes, we were in our Irish heaven! So now that we’re back, and with Easter coming soon. I’ve decided to recreate Ireland’s national dish – traditional Irish lamb stew.
TRADITIONAL IRISH LAMB STEW
Everyone seems to cook lamb dishes a lot around Easter time, so it was the perfect excuse for me to recreate this Irish stew at home. However, I made a few changes so this isn’t exactly the traditional lamb stew recipe, but it is very delicious I promise you. Purists say that traditional Irish stew is made with either lamb or mutton, potatoes and onions ONLY.
EASY LAMB STEW RECIPE
While some people like to add different root vegetables like parsnips or turnips. I’ve added carrots and celery and cooked everything in Guinness beer. I’ve also added garlic for a nutty flavor but that is also optional. Some people also like to add bacon but I’ve decided to skip the bacon. It is also very important to note that this stew should be thick and hearty. In short, this lamb stew is the perfect dish for cold winter days! I love stews in general, I grew up having different kinds of Russian stews usually served with mashed potatoes or rice on the side. So when I’ve first seen this dish in Belfast, I knew that this was my kind of food and that I was going to love it!
HOW TO MAKE LAMB STEW WITH VEGETABLES
Start by heating some oil in a pot, and browning the lamb cubes. Then take out the lamb, and set aside in a plate. Using the same pot, without cleaning it. Saute onion and garlic for a couple of minutes, until onion is tender and garlic is fragrant. Then add the flour, and cook while stirring regularly for about 30 seconds. Add the Guinness beer, mix well and add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Cover with a lid, let the mixture boil then reduce heat and simmer. Cook until the meat becomes soft, and the sauce thickens. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme sprigs, season with pepper and salt and serve with either mashed potatoes or soda bread.
LAMB STEW SLOW COOKER RECIPE
To cook this lamb stew in the slow cooker, brown the meat then add the flour to the sauteed garlic and onion. Then transfer everything to your slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients, and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Reading more about the Irish stew, it seems that Irish stew was recognized as early as about 1800 [1]. It is served all over Ireland during St Patrick’s day, but I find this to be too good to only make an appearance for a few days a year! It is usually served with creamy mashed potatoes, or even just a wedge of Irish soda bread on the side! I use this pot to make this recipe, it’s a great non-stick pot and it also works for induction. © Little Sunny Kitchen
