Traditional Irish Stew
This recipe for irish stew (Stobhach Gaelach) is from the 1950s and is about as traditional as I can find. Just meat, potatoes and onion - no barley or other veg. You can cook this either on the hob or in the oven.
Traditional Irish Stew | |
---|---|
![]() |
Servings: | Serves 4 |
Calories per serving: | 1188 |
Ready in: | 2 hours, 50 minutes |
Prep. time: | 20 minutes |
Cook time: | 2 hours, 30 minutes |
Difficulty: | ![]() |
Recipe author: | JuliaBalbilla |
First published: | 15th August 2016 |
Best recipe reviewProperly authentic. 5/5 As always, your recipes Julia, are full researched, realistic and delicious! |

Ingredients
Printable 🖨 shopping 🛒 list & 👩🍳 method for this recipe
- 1 kg scrag end of lamb or mutton, cut into cutlets and fat trimmed
- 1.8 kg potatoes, peeled and cut in half or quarters, depending on size
- 500 g brown onions, thickly sliced
- Seasoning
- 570 ml meat stock (hot stock if cooking in the oven)
- A sprig of rosemary
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Mise en place
- If cooking in the oven, pre-heat to 150°C (fan 130°C) / 300° F / Gas 2
Method
- Take a deep saucepan or casserole, depending on how you want to cook it and add a layer of half the potatoes, then the meat, and then the rest of the potatoes, seasoning well between layers.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Firstly cover the pan with some greased tin foil, and put the lid on.
For cooking on the hob
- Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2-2½ hours. As the pan is so tightly covered, you may find a heat diffuser useful. Also you need to shake the pan at times, to prevent sticking.
For cooking in the oven
Serving suggestions
Serve with soda bread or other rustic bread
Recipe source
- Adapted from a recipe in The Constance Spry Cookery Book (1956) by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume
Discover Cookipedia's Culinary Creations on Pinterest
Explore the vibrant world of Cookipedia through our Pinterest page! We've curated a stunning collection of recipes that highlight the beauty of home-cooked dishes. It's the perfect way to visually navigate our extensive recipe library and get inspired by the flavours we’ve shared over the years. Dive in and discover your next favorite meal—one picture at a time!
#potatoes #casserole #traditionalirishstew #barley #tinfoil #saucepan #sprigofrosemary #rest #hob #onion #stock