Recipe: County Longford Irish Stew

Makes about 1 gallon to serve 8

2 pounds of boneless leg of lamb

¼ cup unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into 2-inch dice

2 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch dice

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (12-ounnce) bottle Guinness Stout

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

8 cups lamb stock or beef broth

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch dice

2 pounds tiny red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon ground coriander seed

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Trim the lamb to remove any excess fat or cartilage and cut the meat into 2-inch cubes. Toss the pieces with the flour and thyme.

2. In a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat, brown half the seasoned lamb pieces in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Remove the pieces form the pan with a slotted spoon and in the oil left behind, brown the remaining lamb pieces, adding another tablespoon of olive oil if necessary. Lift those pieces out of the pan, reduce heat to medium and in the oil left behind, sauté the shallot, onion, celery and garlic until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the Guinness Stout; increase the heat to high and continue stirring, loosing any bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid comes to a full, rolling boil. Stir in the mustard, tomatoes, broth, carrots, potatoes and bay leaf, then stir in the browned lamb pieces.

4. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and allow the stew to simmer until the lamb is tender, about 2 ½ hours. Shortly before serving, stir in the red wine vinegar, the sherry vinegar and the parsley. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.