You Don't Get Much More Irish Than Irish Stew - Happy St. Patrick's Day

I grew up on Irish stew - and so did my children. Made with plenty of potatoes and onions, there is nothing more Irish than Irish Stew.

Here in the South, lamb and mutton is not as readily available as I'd like, but Publix in Loganville and in Grayson always have enough for those tasty bowls of Irish Stew to carry us through the cold Georgia winters.

Almost spring, there are not likely to be many more cold Georgia nights for a while. But since it's St. Patrick's Day, this seemed like a good time to share the recipe.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound stewing lamb or lamb chops cut into pieces (mutton can be used, but is not so easy to find)
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• 3 large onions, roughly cut
• 1 cup carrots, roughly chopped or whole baby carrots              
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• Brown lamb in the oil with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the onions and saute till soft.
• Add a little water, potatoes and carrots, turn heat down, cover and simmer.
• Leave cooking on a low heat until meat is tender and potatoes are cooked (about two hours).
• Grate a small potato in about 15 minutes before you are ready to eat to thicken.

Serve

• Over rice.

Variations:

• You can use onion soup instead of water for extra taste.
• You can add cabbage leaves, another staple in the diet of the irish, about an hour into the cooking time. Make sure that the meat and vegetables are always covered by liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

It is a simple, but tasty, stew.

Enjoy - and Happy St. Patrick's Day!