St Patrick’s Day falls on Tuesday 26 March; what better time to indulge in one of the Emerald Isle’s most famous, flavoursome exports?
Making the stew the day before you plan to eat really does make a difference to the end result: the flavours develop, and any leftover fat that collects on the top can be skimmed off and discarded.
Ingredients (serves 6)
750g boneless lamb leg or shoulder, chopped into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
2-3 floury potatoes, peeled and diced
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
850ml lamb stock
To serve: colcannon, of course!
Method
Heat a little vegetable oil in a large casserole dish over a high heat and sear the lamb until richly caramelised all over (you’ll probably need to do this in batches). Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon, set to one side and turn the heat down underneath the dish.
Preheat the oven to 190c/gas mark 5. Add a little more vegetable oil to the dish and sauté the onion, carrots and parsnips for around 5 minutes or until the vegetables have started to soften, adding the thyme and the flour for the last couple of minutes.
Add the stock and Worcestershire Sauce, bring to a boil (stirring continuously), then add the browned lamb plus any juices that have collected in the bowl. Stir well, put the lid on the pot and oven cook for 1.5 hours. Add the potatoes to the pot and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or until both the potatoes and the meat are tender. Allow to cool, transfer to a sealed container and chill in the fridge overnight.
When you’re ready to reheat your stew, remove from the fridge and skim off (and discard) any residual fat that has floated to the surface. Reheat the stew in a large saucepan over a medium heat, stirring continuously.
Serve immediately on warm plates, accompanied by clouds of Colcannon.
