A Touch of the Irish Stew

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Today is the day where everyone is a little Irish and green is prevalent everywhere you go. My great grandmother's family came from Ireland to Nova Scotia and I have the fair skin of a wee bonny lass, though I'm not as wee as in years past! Tonight I wanted to have a good hearty Irish meal, and not corned beef either- blech.

On a blustery day like today, stew makes for a perfect meal to warm you up from the inside. And I had planned head and purchased some lamb meat to serve as the main inspiration for my Emerald Isle stew. Carrots, potatoes, and turnips rounded things out in the pot, although I hear for this to be truly traditional, I should have had some barley in there too, but I didn't have that on hand.

After letting this simmer on the stove for a nice hour and a half though, this was perfect, especially with the Bisquick biscuits hubby whipped up.


First though we started the meal with some Guinness, of course, and a delicious Dubliner cheese- yum!


Traditional Irish Stew

• 1/2+ lbs. Lamb, cut into small chunks
  
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
  
• 1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• 1 Medium Onion, coarsely chopped
  
• 3 C. Light Beef Broth
  
• 3 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  
• 2 Turnips, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 Celery Stalk, sliced
  
• 4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
  
• 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme Leaves
  
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp. Dried Rosemary
  
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  
• 1 Bay Leaf
  
• Dash Salt

1. In a large pot, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and saute a few minutes until slightly softened.
   
2. Add in the lamb meat and brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium.
   
3. Add in broth, vegetables, and spices. Cook on a low simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally and keeping from boiling too hot.
   
4. The stew is ready when the potatoes are soft and the meat is tender.