McLaughlin Family Irish Stew Recipe

Last week I stopped by our local butcher as I was waiting on my husband to finish running some errands. The butcher had an offer that day for 1 pound of steak pieces for just 3 euros! I bought 2 pounds just because it was a great deal, but then couldn't figure out what to do with them. The next day it was cloudy, cold and dreary outside and all I wanted was a big bowl of stew... then it hit me! Irish Stew! I had yet to make this extremely popular dish but had been wanting to give it a try, so my father-in-law wrote out his family recipe and I was on my way.

The amazing thing about Irish Stew is the tradition. My father-in-law remembers his grandma cooking this exact recipe and my mother-in-law remembers her mom cooking in the old stone house (which we now use as sheds) in a cast iron pot hung over an open fire. I love that I'm now able to cook it and pass on this recipe to others. This recipe is obviously pretty standard because back then, they just threw what they had into a pot and cooked it over a fire. It was traditionally made with mutton because anyone who was lucky enough to have a lamb back in those days never would have butchered it due to the money they were able to get from the wool, and the fact that it could produce more sheep. Animals were butchered only when they were too old to be useful anymore so mutton, which wasn't sold because it was seen as 'peasant' meat, was all they had. I however made my stew with the steak pieces I had because I won't eat mutton or lamb, but you can use whatever you'd like. Any available root vegetables were thrown into the pot as well and soon enough you would have a hearty stew that would give plenty of energy to the men who were out digging turf all day, and to the women who had to run the household. They knew how to make the most out of the little they had to survive.


McLaughlin Family Irish Stew

2lbs cubed meat (beef, steak, mutton, lamb, etc.)
5 cups beef stock
6 carrots, sliced
8-10 medium potatoes, quartered
1 large onion
1-2 cups peas
A few stalks of celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
Swig of olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Balsamic Vinegar
Either a teaspoon of cornstarch OR a few extra boiled potatoes, mashed

You can also add turnips and a handful of barley if you'd like!

1. The day before, marinate the meat in a bit of balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar and it turned out great too) and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Let marinate overnight.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil and cook onion until soft. Pour in the meat (vinegar and garlic too!) into the pot and brown the meat on all sides. 
3. Add in the stock, bay leaf, and the rest of the vegetables. 
   
4. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for a few hours, or until veggies are soft (but not too soft!)
5. To thicken, either add in the cornstarch mixed with a bit of water OR for a more authentic way to thicken, boil a couple extra potatoes and mash them well, mix in the mashed potatoes and cook another 20 minutes. 
6. Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve with a bit of parsley sprinkled on top, a nice chunk of soda bread, and your favorite Irish drink to wash it all down!

**This is a GREAT recipe to freeze so make some extra! I have 2 giant tubs in the freezer right now!