Convivial supper — shared one-pot evening meal
Irish stew (mutton and potato stew)
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A rustic stew of mutton (or lamb) long-cooked with potatoes and onions, with no other frills. The potatoes partly melt to thicken the broth, which becomes creamy and comforting.
Convivial supper — shared one-pot evening meal
A rustic stew of mutton (or lamb) long-cooked with potatoes and onions, with no other frills. The potatoes partly melt to thicken the broth, which becomes creamy and comforting.
I was born in Dublin, and one never quite forgets the table of one's childhood. This stew is of an honest simplicity: mutton, potatoes, onions, water, and nothing more — anyone who adds a thousand things has understood nothing of the matter. You let it simmer very gently for hours, while you talk, and the potatoes break down by themselves to thicken it all. It is the dish of long evenings among friends: you fill the plates, you fill the glasses, and philosophy can well wait until tomorrow.
Ingredients
- •Mutton (shoulder, on the bone) — generous chunks (base meat, flavor and gelatin)
- •Potatoes — in abundance (starch and thickener)
- •Onions — several (aromatic base)
- •Water — to cover (broth)
- •Parsley — a bunch (final freshness)
- •Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
How it was made : Authentic Irish stew from the 19th and early 20th centuries contained only mutton (a cheap, mature animal), potatoes, onions, and water — carrots and barley are later additions. The slow cooking tenderized tough, economical meat. It was the dish of modest families as well as large gatherings.
Sources : Theodora FitzGibbon, A Taste of Ireland, 1968 · Florence Irwin, The Cookin' Woman: Irish Country Recipes, 1949