Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Below is my family recipe for Irish stew a dish. Have a fun and safe day.
We are all aware of how soul soothing a bowl of stew is. Irish stew is the supreme soul soother. I'm not sure if it's because of it's simplicity, I mean that some stews can require a lot of chopping and lots of ingredients an Irish stew may have few ingredients but they pack a punch. It really is a one pot meat that is bolstering.

Heat oven to 170°C/ 150°C fan. Heat the oil in a large heavy based casserole over a high heat. Brown the lamb, by which I mean add it to the hot oil and let it sizzle and sear and develop a deep brown before turning over to brown the other side, it is best to do this in two batches. then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pan stir it about in the pan for 2 -3 minutes, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan up. The vegetables will not be fully cooked after this.
Stir in the flour and keep stirring until it coats all the vegetables . Add the beef stock, bat leaves and return the meat to the pan along with any juices that have collected on the plate. Bring back to a boil.
Season with sea salt and black pepper. Switch the heat off under the pan and lay the potatoes slightly over lapping on top of the stew. Season the potatoes with a little more salt and black pepper. Place a lid on the pan and transfer to the over. Cook for 90 minutes with the lid on and then a further 15 minutes with the lid off. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 170°C/ 150°C fan. Heat the oil in a large heavy based casserole over a high heat. Brown the lamb, by which I mean add it to the hot oil and let it sizzle and sear and develop a deep brown before turning over to brown the other side, it is best to do this in two batches. then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pan stir it about in the pan for 2 -3 minutes, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan up. The vegetables will not be fully cooked after this.
Stir in the flour and keep stirring until it coats all the vegetables . Add the beef stock, bat leaves and return the meat to the pan along with any juices that have collected on the plate. Bring back to a boil.
Season with sea salt and black pepper. Switch the heat off under the pan and lay the potatoes slightly over lapping on top of the stew. Season the potatoes with a little more salt and black pepper. Place a lid on the pan and transfer to the over. Cook for 90 minutes with the lid on and then a further 15 minutes with the lid off. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes before serving.