Irish Lamb Stew
Ingredients:
1.5 -2.5 lbs lamb stew meat — the more meat in each bite the better, but the point of a stew is to be able to draw a large meal out of little meat. I did 1.5 lbs and it provided 6-8 servings.
2-3 tbsp all purpose flour
S & P
4 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
16 oz sliced mushrooms (button or baby Bella)
6 oz tomato paste (1 small can)
2 cups dry red wine
4 cups beef stock
4 large carrots, peeled & cut into 1/2” quartered pieces
1 1/2 lbs small yellow potatoes, halved & quarters into 1” pieces
2 bay leaves
1 bundle of fresh thyme
1 bundle fresh rosemary
Fresh parsley to garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Begin by generously seasoning your lamb stew pieces with salt and pepper on each side, followed by coating each piece in a small bowl of flour.
2. In the bottom of a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon pieces until crispy; remove from pot and lay on a paper towel lined plate. With the bacon drippings in the bottom of the pan, transfer floured lamb pieces to the pot to sear on each side for approx 1-2 mins. Flip and sear other side before removing from pot and setting aside.
3. Add the chopped onion & garlic to the pot and sauté for about 5 mins. De-glaze with red wine, then add the sliced mushrooms. Allow to simmer for 10 mins uncovered.
4. Return bacon & lamb to pot and add beef broth, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, potatoes and carrots. Stir to make sure all potatoes and carrots are covered in broth.
5. Bake for 1 hour and 45 mins. Potatoes will be very tender, this gets better each day you earn leftovers!