Irish Lamb (or Beef) Stew
In the spirit of St. Patrick's day, I made this delicious Irish lamb stew for the family this week. I threw it in the crockpot to save myself time and the lamb was incredibly tender after cooking in the crockpot.
I think the most amazing thing about this recipe was what happened after it cooled. I pulled it out the next day for lunch and the soup was completely gelatinous! The secret sauce comes from using the bones. There is so much nutrition to be extracted from bones. They are a budget friendly way to add flavor, nutrients and more meat to a recipe.
Variations:
- If you have more time in your kitchen, this would also be delicious cooked in a soup pot or dutch oven. Just brown your meat and onions in the pan and add everything in at the end. It will probably need to simmer for 90 mins or so until the lamb is tender.
- Add more veggies: Celery root, parsnips, turnips, garlic, or diced tomatoes.
- Switch out the lamb meat and bones for beef stew meat and bones.
- Thicken up the stew with a roux or cornstarch.
What you need:
- 12 oz lamb stew meat
- 2 lbs lamb soup bones
- 2 Tbsp. lard or oil for sauting (divided)
- 1 onion (large, sliced)
- 3 carrots (chopped into 3" pieces)
- 1 1/2 cups potatoes cut up (about 2 potatoes)
- 2 sprigs thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1-2 Bay leaves
- 1 btl. beer (Guiness)
- 4 cups beef or vegetable broth
- pepper
- salt
How to make it:
- Season lamb and bones with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and brown the bones and stew meat. You may need to do this in batches so they have space in the pan.
- After taking out the lamb, add onions to the pan with the rest of the oil. Cook until onions are tender.
- Meanwhile, add the potatoes, carrots, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, beer and broth to the crockpot.
- Once onions are done, add some water to the pan to deglaze then add the onions mixture, stew meat and bones to the crockpot.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- Enjoy!