Monday 17 March is St Patrick’s Day. Get the party started this weekend with this classic, comforting Irish stew: an authentic, traditional taste of the Emerald Isle in a bowl.
Ingredients (serves 6)
1kg boneless lamb shoulder, cut into roughly 3cm pieces
4 tbsp plain flour
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
2 × 440ml cans Irish stout (ie. Guinness!)
2 tbsp malt vinegar
4 carrots, thickly sliced
1 small swede, peeled and cubed
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Coat the lamb with the flour and season well. Melt a little oil and butter in a large casserole dish and fry the lamb in batches until nicely browned on all sides (you may need to add a little extra fat to the pan for the last batch.) Set the lamb to one side.
Melt a little butter in the same pan and sauté the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until very soft, adding the sugar for the last minute or so.
Add the meat back to the pan along with the stout (Guinness!) and the vinegar. Add the carrots, swede and potatoes and just enough cold water to cover the lot (probably around 400ml) and bring to the boil, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface.
Cover the casserole with a lid and cook in the centre of the oven for around 1 ½ hours before removing the lid and returning to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Serve in warm bowls accompanied by, perhaps, cabbage and soda bread.