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St. Patrick's Day: Ballymaloe Irish Stew

Source of Recipe


From "The Gourmet Cookbook"



List of Ingredients



• 3 pounds (1- to 2-inch thick) shoulder lamb chops
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 pound small onions, peeled and root ends trimmed
  
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  
• 2½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
  
• 2 pounds small boiling potatoes
  
• 1½ Tbsp unsalted butter
  
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
  






Instructions



1. Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350° F (unless simmering stew on the stovetop).
   Cut chops lengthwise in half. Trim off and reserve excess fat. Cook fat in a 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until rendered, about 10 minutes; discard solid bits. Set skillet aside. Pat chops dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown chops in two batches in fat in skillet over moderately high heat. Transfer to a dish. Add onions and carrots to skillet and toss well to coat with fat, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
   
   
2. Arrange half of lamb in a 4-quart heavy ovenproof pot and season with salt and pepper. Top with onions and carrots, then with remaining lamb, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Add stock to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Pour stock into pot and add thyme. Peel potatoes and halve, if desired. Arrange potatoes on top, season with salt and pepper, and bring liquid to a simmer. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is tender and vegetables are cooked through, 1 to 1¼ hours. (Alternatively, stew may be simmered gently on stovetop.) Carefully tilt pot and ladle liquid from stew into a bowl. Let liquid stand for 5 minutes, then skim off fat.
   
   
3. Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in hot liquid and simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and chives. Pour sauce back into stew and reheat.
   
   Serves 4 to 6
   
   






Final Comments


"When Darina Allen, of Ballymaloe Cooking School in County Cork, Ireland, prepares this recipe, which we adapted from her 'Complete Book of Irish Country Cooking,' she uses only organic produce and locally raised lamb. But even when made with ordinary supermarket ingredients, this layered stew is something special. Allen's method of rendering the fat from the shoulder chops, then browning the meat, onions, and carrots in that fat, reinforces the flavor."