Irish Stew
Lamb shoulder browned until dark, then slow-braised with potatoes, carrots and onions in a Guinness-spiked broth until the collagen melts and the whole pot turns rich and glossy. Ireland's national dish — honest peasant food that gets better overnight.
Ingredients
- 700 glamb shoulder
- 600 gpotato
- 3 carrots
- 2 onions
- 330 mlGuinness stout
- 400 mlbeef broth
- 2 tbspflour
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 1 tspsalt
- ½ tspblack pepper
Method
- Cut the lamb shoulder into 4 cm chunks, removing large sinew. Pat completely dry with paper towels — wet meat will steam, not brown. Season with salt and pepper, then toss with flour to coat.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over high heat. Brown the lamb in 2–3 batches, leaving space between pieces, 3–4 minutes per side until genuinely dark. Don't rush this — the color on the meat is the flavor base of the whole stew. Set the browned meat aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. In the same pot, cook the diced onions for 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Add the Guinness and let it bubble for 2 minutes, lifting everything from the bottom. Pour in the beef broth.
- Return the lamb to the pot. Add thyme, bay leaves and the parsley stalks (save the leaves for serving). Bring to a gentle simmer — small, slow bubbles. Cover and cook on the lowest possible heat for 60 minutes.
- Add the carrots cut into large chunks and the potatoes quartered or halved depending on size. Cover and continue simmering for another 35–40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the lamb pulls apart with a fork.
- Remove the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and parsley stalks. Taste and adjust salt. If the broth is too thin, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Ladle into deep bowls, scatter chopped parsley leaves on top and serve with soda bread.
FAQ
They are different dishes. Irish stew is the traditional one: made with lamb or mutton, potatoes, carrots and onions in a light-coloured broth, sometimes with a splash of stout. It originates from peasant cooking where lamb was cheaper than beef. Guinness stew is a pub dish made with beef braised in stout, which produces a dark brown, intensely flavoured sauce. The confusion arises because both are served in Irish pubs. This recipe uses traditional lamb but adds Guinness for depth — a common modern compromise that works well. If you want the strictly traditional version, skip the Guinness and use all broth.
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Comments (1)
Rest the beef for at least 5 minutes after cooking irish stew. Cutting immediately lets all those precious juices run onto the board. A loose foil tent keeps it warm without steaming the crust.