I love Irish Stew. . . at least the one they served in Ireland. We were sitting at a little cafe on the edge of a hill that overlooked an amazing moor in Ireland when I was 14. It was one of the most incredible trips of my life so far and the Irish Stew that I had at that little cafe was definitely something to write home about. It was my favorite meal of the entire trip (and believe me, we had some interesting meals). I miss Ireland and would love to go back someday.
This Irish Stew wasn’t quite the same as I remember from Ireland. This was my first time trying the recipe with real lamb. I have used beef before without getting the right flavor and I can definitely tell that it’s lamb that makes the difference because of its very unique taste. Overall, I think I may have to stick with Ireland for traditional Irish Stew. Apparently, the lamb that I can get here just isn’t up to par with the little lambs running all over the green, green pastures in Ireland.
Irish Stew 266 calories per serving
Ingredients 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 ¾ pounds white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 3 large leeks, whites only, halved, washed and thinly sliced 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 14-ounce can reduced sodium chicken broth 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Preparation In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine the lamb, potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, broth, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover the slow cooker, then cook on low until the lamb is fork-tender, about 7 to 8 hours. Stir in the parsley just before serving.