Classic Irish Stew

What You’ll Like About This Recipe

• Filled with tender meat, potatoes, and vegetables for a hearty, satisfying meal.
• The one-pot cooking method leaves fewer dishes to clean.
• The leftovers are even more flavorful, making it great for cooking ahead.

Ingredient Notes

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• Beef Stew Meat and Lamb Shoulder — I prefer a combination of about 2/3 beef and 1/3 lamb, even though I understand that Irish Stew typically contains all lamb. Of course, you can make the recipe with all beef or all lamb if you like.
• Potatoes — I like a floury potato such as Russets for this stew. They hold up well to the cooking time. Yukon Golds also work.
• Carrots, Onions, and Celery — The classic veggie combination for beef-based stews.
• Beef Stock — If you happen to have homemade beef broth, please use it! Otherwise, a good purchased brand such as Swanson is excellent.
• Butter — I place the potatoes on top of the stew and dot them with butter before cooking. It adds so much richness and helps the potatoes brown a bit.

How to Make Classic Irish Stew

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Place a large, oven-proof Dutch oven or other heavy, deep pan over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon of canola oil.
3. Add about 1/3 of the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Cook until browned on all sides. Repeat in batches until all the meat has been browned, adding additional oil as needed.

5. Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the prepared vegetables. Cook and stir often, until the onion is translucent (5-6 minutes).
6. Return the browned meat to the pan.
7. Add the stock and bay leaf.
8. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.

9. Arrange the potatoes on top of the stew.
10. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with salt and a generous amount of ground black pepper.
11. Cover the pan and place it in the oven. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the cover during the final 10 minutes of cooking to allow the potatoes to brown.
12. Serve in bowls with sliced, buttered Irish soda bread on the side. Sprinkle a little chopped fresh parsley on top if desired.

Recipe Variations

• Use only lamb for a more traditional Irish flavor or all beef for a more familiar American flavor.
• Replace a cup of the beef broth with Guinness or another stout beer.
• Add a few parsnips or turnips if you like.

Menu Suggestions

• For a classic dinner menu, serve the stew with brown Irish soda bread with butter, followed by an apple cranberry crisp for dessert.
• For Sunday dinner, serve with roasted Brussels sprouts on the side and slow cooker bread pudding.
• Serve an easy weeknight meal of stew with a mixed green salad tossed with vinaigrette and oatmeal cookies.

Storing the Leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Warm slowly on the stovetop over low heat.

Recipe

Classic Irish Stew

Warm up with Classic Irish Stew! Loaded with meat, vegetables, and broth, this timeless dish is perfect for winter family dinners.

4.50 from 2 votes

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Course: Soups and Stews

Cuisine: Irish

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 504kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds mixed lamb shoulder and stew beef cut into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 4 tablespoons canola oil
• ▢ 2 medium onions roughly cut in chunks
• ▢ 3 ribs celery cut into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 4 large carrots cut into chunks
• ▢ 4 cups beef stock
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 5 large baking potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
• ▢ 6 tablespoons butter

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Place a large, oven-proof Dutch oven or other heavy, deep pan over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon canola oil.
• Add about 1/3 of the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2 pounds mixed lamb shoulder and stew beef, Salt and pepper
• Cook until browned on all sides. Repeat until all meat has been browned, adding additional oil when needed.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the prepared vegetables. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent (5-6 minutes).

  3 tablespoons canola oil
  2 medium onions, 3 ribs celery, 4 large carrots
• Return the browned meat to the pan.
• Add the stock and bay leaf.
  4 cups beef stock, 1 bay leaf
• Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
• Arrange the potatoes on top of the stew.
  5 large baking potatoes
• Dot with the butter and sprinkle with salt and a generous amount of ground black pepper.
  6 tablespoons butter
• Cover the pan and place in the oven. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the cover during the final 10 minutes of cooking to allow the potatoes to brown.
• Serve with sliced, buttered Irish soda bread.

Notes

• To make in a slow cooker — After browning the meat and sautéing the vegetables, transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Warm slowly on the stovetop over low heat.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1Calories 504kcalCarbohydrates 42gProtein 27gFat 26gSaturated Fat 10gPolyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0.5gCholesterol 91mgSodium 527mgPotassium 1549mgFiber 4gSugar 6gVitamin A 7237IUVitamin C 16mgCalcium 81mgIron 4mg

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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