Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 20 mins
Total: 2 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings


 Nothing is more warming and filling than a delicious bowl of Irish stew, a
popular dish from Ireland and loved the world over. It was traditionally made 
with mutton (sheep), but it is now often made with the easier-to-find lamb.
Either meat will make a delicious, hearty stew.

Controversy reigns over whether adding vegetables other than potatoes makes
the perfect Irish stew, but the choice is yours. Adding onions, leeks,
carrots, and cabbage does add extra flavor and nutrition to the stew and
means that little else is needed to make it a meal.

Though a hugely popular dish on St Patrick's Day, it's far too good to
reserve for a few days a year—eat it when you want something comforting
and warming. Serve with crusty bread to soak up all of the delicious sauce.

 Tips for Making Irish Stew

    There are basically three types of potatoes: starchy, waxy, and all
-purpose. Starchy potatoes (like russets) will break down, while waxy (like
red-skinned potatoes) will remain intact and hold their shape; all-purpose
(like Yukon Golds) fall somewhere in the middle. The recommended type of
potato for stew is waxy, but you can use a combination if you'd like some of
the potatoes to break down and help thicken the sauce.
    Feel free to use boneless lamb stew meat for this recipe instead of
cutlets. If lamb is hard to source where you live, substitute beef stew
meat.
    The consistency of this stew can be adjusted in a couple ways. If you
find it too thick, add more beef stock. If too thin, simmer the stew,
uncovered, at the end of cooking until thickened to your liking.
    Cooking this stew in the oven rather than on the stovetop helps it cook
more evenly, avoiding the risk of boiling, which can toughen the meat.
However, you can cook this on the stovetop over very low heat. Just be sure
to check in on it every once in a while to make sure it isn't simmering too
briskly.

Ingredients

    2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

    1 pound lamb cutlets or mutton (bones removed, cut into 2-inch/5
-centimeter chunks), divided

    2 pounds waxy potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters), divided

    1 cup roughly chopped carrots, divided

    1 cup roughly chopped onion, divided

    1 cup finely sliced leeks, cleaned and divided

    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

    3 cups dark beef stock (1 1/2 pints)

    2 or 3 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced, optional

    Salt, to taste

    Pepper, to taste

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Ingredients for traditional Irish stew recipe gathered

In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until hot but not
smoking. Add half of the lamb pieces and brown all over by turning in the 
hot oil.

Lamb chunks being browned in frying pan with ample space between them

Remove the lamb pieces with tongs and place them in a Dutch oven or
ovenproof stockpot.

Browned lamb chunks placed in a Dutch oven

Cover with half of the potatoes, half of the carrots, half of the onion, 
and half of the leeks.

Carrots, onions, leeks, and potatoes added to lamb in Dutch oven

Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and heat. Add the remaining lamb, 
brown all over as before, and add to the Dutch oven.

Remaining browned lamb chunks added to Dutch oven with lamb and vegetables

Cover with the remaining potatoes, remaining onion, remaining leeks, and 
remaining carrots.

Remaining potatoes, carrots, leeks, and onions added to casserole

Add the flour to the still-hot frying pan and stir really well to soak up 
any fat and juices. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes.

Flour added to lamb fat in the frying pan and being stirred with a wooden
spoon

Add the stock a ladle at a time and mix until you have a thick, lump-free 
sauce. You will not add all of the stock.

Stock gradually added to frying pan and stirred with wooden spoon to a thick, 
smooth sauce

Pour this sauce over the lamb and vegetables.

Sauce poured over stew ingredients in Dutch oven

Add the remaining stock to the Dutch oven, cover with a tight-fitting lid,

and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Stock added to Irish stew in Dutch oven

Add the cabbage (if using), replace the lid, and cook for another hour. 
Check from time to time to make sure the stock hasn't reduced too much. If it 
has, add a little boiling water. The meat and vegetables should always be 
covered in liquid. If the sauce is too runny at the end, you can always cook the
stew a little longer with the lid removed.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve piping hot and enjoy.