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St. Patrick's Day Recipes
Ballymaloe Irish Stew
From: "Darina Allen’s
Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook," by Darina Allen, 2002.
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds lamb chops not less than 1-inch thick
6 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
6 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
8-12 potatoes
1 quart vegetable stock
1 sprig of thyme
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh chives, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Yield: 4 servings.
PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut the lamb chops in half and trim off some of the excess fat.
Set the lamb aside. In a heavy bottomed pan, cook the fat trimmings
to render liquid fat. Discard the remaining pieces.
2. Toss the lamb chops in the hot liquid
fat and cook until slightly brown on both sides. Remove the
lamb chops and reserve. Toss the chopped onions and carrots
in the fat. Build the meat, carrots and onions up in layers
in a casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Using the stock, deglaze the pan the
meat was cooked in, and pour the liquid into the casserole dish.
Peel the potatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste, and
lay them whole on top of the stew – they will steam as
the stew cooks. Add the sprig of thyme, and bring to a boil
over high heat. Once boiling, cover and put in the oven until
stew is cooked, 1 to 2 hours.
4. When ready, pour the cooking liquid out
of the stew. Transfer the meat and the vegetables to a clean
pan. Skim the grease out of the cooking liquid, and pour the
remaining cooking liquid over the stew. Sprinkle with the parsley
and chives to garnish. Serve immediately.
