Irish Lamb Stew with Bacon

Around St. Patrick’s Day I notice many people coming to this site looking for an Irish lamb stew recipe. After some experimentation and a lot of research into Irish stews, I’ve settled on a stew that has its roots in the traditional approach, but takes a few detours to add a bit more flavor.

Traditionally, Irish stew is made with mature lamb (year old) or mutton, potatoes, onions, and water, and is simply cooked low and slow. Where we make embellishments with this recipe is that we work with lamb shoulder, the meat is browned first, in bacon fat, and carrots, bacon, and thyme are all added. All of these steps are to bring a richer flavor to the stew. (If you want, you can skip any or all of these additions.)

Irish Lamb Stew with Bacon Recipe

Cook the lamb pieces bone-in for better flavor, especially if using water instead of lamb stock. If you want, remove the bones before serving. Turnips are strongly flavored and add a good balance for the stew, so use them if you can. A waxy potato like a Yukon gold will hold up better for long cooking, but you can also use a starchy potato like a Russet, it will likely fall apart a bit, but that just thickens the stew. More barley will thicken the stew further.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder or shoulder blade chops, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat
• 6 slices bacon, thickly cut
• 2 pounds potatoes (Yukon gold preferred), peeled, quartered
• 2 large onions, quartered
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch segments
• 1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 heaping tablespoons pearl barley (omit for gluten-free version)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart of water or lamb stock, warmed

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