The first time I was in Ireland it was March. It was rainy and chilly. The type of cold that seeped into the marrow of your bones. I was entranced with the emerald green countryside and the dark sea that crashed against the coastline, but I shivered for days. Then one night, at a simple bed and breakfast, the owner offered me a bowl of Irish stew. You know those moments when you find yourself eating or drinking what feels exactly right at that moment, in that time, in that location? My entire body responded to this hearty vegetable and lamb stew. I felt satiated, calm and nearly warm. I slept like a baby and didn’t even wake in the middle of the night (which is when many of the wonderful, and frugal, Irish turn off their heat… because you’re bundled up and already warm in bed… except of course when you’re not).
Many years later, when I found myself with my own flock of sheep and producing lamb meat, one of the first things I made was Irish stew. It did not disappoint! It instills a deep sense of calm in me. It settles me into the time and place. It warms me on chilly evenings and snowy days. It’s Mid-October in the northern Midwest and today was rainy. It rained most of the day and it felt right to make my first pot of Irish Stew. My recipe has been modified to fit me and my streamlined style which means: minimal ingredients and maximum flavor.
The primary ingredients are lamb, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic and celery. I use red potatoes. I don’t chop anything too small so it doesn’t get mushy. When I sell lamb meat to new customers I always suggest the ‘stew meat’. This means it comes in 1- 2 inch cubes which are excellent for soup and stews, but also perfect for kabobs, skewered and cooked on the grill.
Here is a complete ingredient list for Firefly Hollow’s Irish Stew:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lamb stew meat
1 cup onion chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic or garlic powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup Irish stout beer (I’ve made it with and without beer, it’s excellent both ways.)
4 cups broth (I like vegetable rather then beef, but it’s a matter of preference).
2 pounds small red potatoes chopped
2 cups carrots peeled
Salt and Pepper to taste
Start by browning the lamb cubes in the pan using the olive oil. Brown only one layer at a time. Brown both sides, 2-3 minutes, or until brown (I love garlic so I’ll usually add garlic powder or a bit of garlic salt as I brown the lamb). Deposit the meat in your large stew pot and sprinkle the flour over it, stirring well.
Add the onion to the same pan you browned the meat in. Cook until tender, for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 30-60 seconds more.
Add the onions and garlic to the soup pot. Stir well with browned lamb meat.
Add the beer (when I use beer I like Guinness), broth, potatoes, and carrots to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine it all and bring the pot to a simmer.
Keep the pot at a simmer and cover for approximately two hours. Test vegetables for tenderness. Serve warm.
On this particular day, I was especially spoiled. A new shepherdess up the road dropped off a loaf of sourdough she had made as a thank you for some help I’d given her. I can say with certainty it’s one of the most beautiful loaves of bread I’ve ever eaten and delicious as well! The rain, the stew, the falling leaves, the sourdough, the preparation for breeding season, the skirting of recently shorn fleeces and a bit of farm marketing. Autumn in the hollow. The perfect time & place.
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