Recipe Friday: Pub-Style Irish Stew

St. Patrick's Day is coming up next week, so here's a traditional recipe to whip up to help you celebrate. 

A filling, flavorful peasant dish made with the cheapest, most readily available ingredients, Irish stew reflects the history of Ireland itself. The Irish raised primarily sheep and root crops for subsistence. The sheep provided wool for warm clothing, milk for drinking and cheese making, and eventually, meat after the animal reached the end of its productive years. Potatoes were the main food crop, prior to the potato famine. An 1800s ballad celebrated the homey satisfaction of a hot bowl: "Then hurrah for an Irish stew / That will stick to your belly like glue."

Sláinte!

Pub-Style Irish Stew

Recipe courtesy American Lamb Board

Yield: 12

Ingredients

4 lbs American Lamb, boneless shoulder, diced into ¾-inch pieces
3 oz clarified butter
2 pints Irish red ale
2 pints lamb stock

Ingredients for roux

2 oz clarified butter
2 oz flour
1 lb turnips, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
1 lb red potatoes, diced into ½-inch pieces
1 lb baby carrots, pared
1 lb pearl onions, peeled
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup green onion, finely sliced
Irish soda bread or other hearty loaf Slices

Method