Irish Stew
Updated March 16, 2025
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 3pounds lamb shoulder, cut in 2-inch chunks (or use thick shoulder chops)
- Salt and pepper
- 4tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2pounds onions (about 6 medium), cut in wedges
- 1pound carrots (about 6 medium), cut in 3-inch lengths
- 4cups chicken, veal or beef broth (or water)
- 1large sprig thyme
- 3pounds russet potatoes (about 12 small), peeled and halved, or cut in 2-inch thick slices
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
735 calories; 44 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 1488 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Pat lamb dry and season well with salt and pepper. Put oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides, working in batches.
- Step 2
Set meat aside and add onions and carrots to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook vegetables, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 3
Return meat to pot, add broth and bring to a simmer. Put in thyme sprig and arrange potatoes on top (it’s fine if potatoes are not completely submerged). Season potatoes, cover pot and transfer to oven.
- Step 4
Bake for about 1 hour, until lamb is quite tender when probed with a skewer or paring knife. Remove fat from top of broth. Ladle stew into shallow bowls and serve.
- Alternatively, cook stew on stovetop instead of baking; keep covered at a gentle simmer for about 1 hour. For a thicker stew, crush a few of the potatoes from the stew and simmer in broth, or thicken with a slurry of flour and water (about 4 tablespoons flour).
Private Notes
Comments
To thicken the sauce dredge the meat in flour and then brown. No need for thickening after the stew is done as the flour in the meat gently thickens the sauce while it cooks. The same technique goes for any type of meat when you make a stew, soup or stove top meal that has a cooking sauce.
And so I have made this again. Since one person's medium is another person's small, some adjustment on ingredients. Six large carrots, yes. Either 3 large onions or 4 medium will be plenty (and I love onions). I have always found yellow Yukon potatoes best for boiling (Russets for baking), and 5 medium halved then cut in wedges will do the trick. And finally at least 3 sprigs thyme.
For those of us on a low-carb diet, substitute yellow turnips for the potatoes. In fact, even if you are not a on a low-carb diet, if you want to reduce your white starch intake, yellow turnips are a great substitute for potatoes on most recipes.
I made a roughly 50-50 mix of salt and pepper and rolled the lamb in it to season it. Then, I regretted the amount of salt I had put on the meat, so I didn't add any more at any step (except for what was in the broth already). The stew came out deliciously peppery and nicely seasoned. I did have to survive the chemical warfare that is cleverly disguised as "brown the lamb" first. I should have seen that coming. I don't know how people "brown the lamb" and ever make such a recipe again.
The recipe calls for 3 lb of lamb. Remember that lamb shoulder generally comes with a high percentage of bone and a fair amount of fat. So when you're buying, make provision for that. I bought a 4 lb roast and got about one and a half pounds of meat.
I made this the other night and stuck mostly to how it is written, I did add Worcestershire when I added the broth. It is absolutely amazing! Husband raved, we're loving the leftovers.