As I promised last week I intend to give out the recipes for the dishes I cooked for my Irish night in Le Presbytere last week.
I’ll start with Irish Stew.

This must be the simplest dish ever and certainly was originally cooked in a pot over the fire in a cottage.
It is in essence lamb- originally mutton- with onions and potatoes cooked simply in water until the meat is tender.

In her Ballymaloe Cookbook Myrtle Allen describes how the recipe can become a serious cause of dissention as people argue over which is the authentic version.
The addition of carrots, common in Munster, and pearl barley in Connaught are all perfectly acceptable but I think it is such a simple dish that I prefer it without either.
On the other hand I always throw in some thyme, as we always did at home and I have recently taken to browning the top (as in Lancashire Hotpot) which they could not have done over a turf fire.

Irish Stew
(for 4)

1kg (2.2lbs) Lamb Gigot Chops
1½ kg (3 lbs) Potatoes
450g (1lb.) Onions
1 large bunch Parsley
1 bunch Thyme
450ml (¾ pt.) Water
Salt and Black Pepper

Peel the potatoes and slice them thickly.
Peel and slice the onions.

Chop the herbs and mix together.

In the bottom of an ovenproof casserole put first a layer of the onion, then the chops, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over the herbs then put a layer of potato. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up finishing with a layer of potato.
Bring the water to the boil and pour over.
Have the oven pre heated to Gas 6, 200C 400F.

Cover the stew well and put the stew into the oven.
Leave it at that temperature until it starts to simmer (10 mts)
Then reduce the temperature to Gas 2,150 C, 300 F (125 C in a fan oven)

Check from time to time, it should be simmering gently.
Top up with a little water if it looks dry.
It should be cooked in 2 ½ hours.
(It also reheats perfectly)

(If the potatoes on the top are not too floury and gone to pieces you could put the casserole under the grill for a couple of minutes to brown them, a heresy but a nice one)