Irish Lamb Stew Recipe

Irish Lamb Stew Recipe – How to make an easy traditional and authentic Irish Stew with lamb and vegetables. With the full video tutorial.

It’s been 2 years already since I’ve moved to Ireland and this Irish Lamb Stew Recipe is inspired by some of the incredible stews I’ve enjoyed as I’ve explored my new home country. (Including one of the best at a Ring of Kerry Restaurant.)

You can enjoy the rich stew any time of year, but it makes an especially comforting meal through winter and of course for St. Patrick’s Day feasts.

A true, authentic stew really only has a handful of ingredients: diced lamb or beef, potatoes and carrots. I’ve cooked mine in a large pot on the stove top but you could just as easily throw the basic ingredients into your slow cooker and cook according to your devices directions.

You could use diced stewing lamb meat as I’ve done or swap for diced lamb shoulder, lamb chops or even use lamb shanks that you can slow cook. And then, it’s up to you what other vegetables and flavors to enhance your stew with. You’d just need to adjust the cooking time if you choose a slow cooking piece of lamb like the shank.

Authentic traditional Irish recipes and ingredients

Here are some ideas for more simple ingredients to add richer flavor to your delicious stew:

Onion
Garlic
Leek
Swap the regular potatoes for baby potatoes or sweet potatoes
Turnip
Parsnip
Celery
Cabbage
Green Beans
Tomato Paste
Fresh Parsley
Thyme
Bay Leaf or Bay Leaves

I’ve used coconut oil for browning the tender chunks of lamb, but you can feel free to swap to olive oil, butter or even bacon fat for added flavor and those tasty brown bits.

I tend to simply pour water as the braising liquid over my stew to celebrate the simple flavors of the dish. You could do the same or add in stock such as beef broth or lamb stock, wine or even Irish Guinness for an Irish stout infused Guinness stew. You can serve the meal with Irish mashed potatoes such as Colcannon Mash.

Irish Lamb Stew Recipe

1kg/2.2lbs Diced Lamb
1 Onion
2-3 Garlic Cloves
750g to 1kg/1.5 to 2lbs Potatoes
3-4 Carrots
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Coconut Oil, for cooking

Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan on the stove top over medium heat, open all of the lamb and salt generously.
Add the lamb chunks to the saucepan, in batches so that they cook evenly.
Once the lamb pieces have browned, remove the browned lamb to a plate and keep cooking the remaining meat until all of the lamb has browned.
While the lamb is browning, peel and dice the onion and garlic.
Once all of the lamb has browned, add the diced onion and garlic into the saucepan.
Cook until the onion and garlic has softened and browned slightly.
Add the lamb back into the saucepan and cover with water or your liquid of choice.
Bring the stew up to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Cook for 1.5 hours and then peel and chop the potatoes and slice the carrots and add them to the stew to cook for a final half an hour or until the meat and vegetables are done to your liking.
Serve the hearty lamb stew as is or topped with thyme, parsley or your herb of choice. You could also serve with a slice of Irish soda bread and plenty of good quality Irish butter as the perfect accompaniment.