Irish Lamb Stew

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 3 hrs 15 mins
Total: 3 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 12 servings

When you conjure up thoughts of Ireland, you likely think of sloping thatched-roof houses with gardens in front and huge fireplaces in rooms where the owners take refuge from Ireland's frequent rain. And on the table, by the fire, you would probably find Irish stew, a regular one-pot meal. Rustic, simple, and hearty, there's no one true recipe for the stew. It has evolved and adapted over time and different places, but it's usually made with lamb, onions, and potatoes. Other ingredients have been added or replaced over time; originally the stew was made with mutton—older animals with tougher and fattier meat—but nowadays lamb's shoulder seems to be the go-to cut. It was also made without potatoes, as these came to Ireland only in the 16th century when they were brought over from South America.

Traditional Irish lamb stew with vegetables in a Dutch oven with a rustic wooden spoon in the pot and sprigs of parsley nearby

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Each family has a favorite variation, but most people like to add carrots. Parsnips, peas, turnips, or celery can also appear, and even Guinness is added in some versions. Our recipe has tasty bacon and bacon fat to add an extra layer of flavor to the broth.

What Is the Difference Between a Stew and an Irish Stew? 

What mainly sets the Irish stew apart from other stews is that it is, in origin, made with very few ingredients, like lamb, potatoes and carrots. Nowadays, the recipes have many more ingredients, but the true base is a humble and simple one-pot meal. Besides the number of ingredients, what differentiates Irish stews from other similar preparations is that they're thickened by the starch in the potatoes, and not by a roux. Even if adding a slurry of flour and cooled broth from the stew would thicken the consistency, Irish stews rarely rely on this trick.

This recipe appears in "The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors" by Jeff Smith.

Tips for Making This Irish Stew

  • In traditional fashion, make this stew the day before and refrigerate overnight, as it is even better reheated. The flavors have time to blend together more, which results in a more flavorful dish.
  • Accompany your meal with a loaf of good soda bread. Some pickles and sauerkraut can complement the earthy and bold flavors of the lamb.
  • If you want to use fewer dishes, cook the bacon, lamb, and garlic-onion mixture in the Dutch oven before making the stew.
Irish Lamb Stew

"I was shocked that only 4 cups of beef stock produced so much stew. The lamb is super-tender and the veggies are tender without being mushy. Very nice recipe and relatively easy once you're cooking it." —Melissa Gray

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound thick-sliced bacon, cut thin crosswise strips

  • 6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 1 teaspoon fine salt, more to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • Vegetable oil, as needed

  • 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 3 large yellow onions, 1 finely chopped, 2 thinly sliced

  • 4 cups store-bought or homemade beef stock

  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

  • 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 3 pounds potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • Chopped parsley, for garnish

  • Soda bread, for serving, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Irish lamb stew recipe gathered

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  2. In a large skillet, sauté the bacon until crisp. Drain the fat and reserve both the bacon and the fat. Don't wash the skillet; you'll use it again.

    Finely diced bacon being sautéed in a large frying pan

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  3. In a large bowl, place the lamb, salt, pepper, and flour. Toss to coat evenly.

    Lamb cubes evenly coated with seasoned flour in a bowl

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  4. Add some of the bacon fat to the reserved skillet. In batches, brown the lamb on all sides. If you run out of fat, use some of the vegetable oil.

    Lamb cubes being browned in a single layer in a large frying pan

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  5. Transfer the browned meat to a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, leaving about 1/4 cup of fat in the skillet.

    Browned lamb cubes in a Dutch oven

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  6. Add the garlic and the chopped yellow onion to the pan and sauté until the onion begins to color a bit.

    Minced garlic and onion being sautéed in a large frying pan

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  7. Add the garlic-onion mixture to the Dutch oven with the reserved bacon, beef stock, and sugar.

    Garlic-onion mixture, bacon, stock, and sugar added to lamb cubes in a Dutch oven

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  8. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is tender.

    Irish lamb stew with cooking liquid being stirred in a Dutch oven

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  9. Add the sliced onions, carrots, potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and wine to the pot and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

    Potatoes, carrots, and aromatics added to the Dutch oven

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  10. Garnish with parsley and serve with soda bread, if desired.

    Irish lamb stew with potatoes and carrots in a dinner bowl

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
584 Calories
22g Fat
35g Carbs
57g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 584
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 7g 34%
Cholesterol 164mg 55%
Sodium 832mg 36%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 57g
Vitamin C 14mg 69%
Calcium 70mg 5%
Iron 6mg 34%
Potassium 1607mg 34%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)