Mary Berry’s one-pan lamb stew is the perfect dish to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, with tender meat that melts in the mouth and takes just 15 minutes to prepare
A steaming bowl of Irish stew is just the ticket for marking St Patrick’s Day in proper style. This classic one-pot wonder typically features robust ingredients like sausages, bacon, and spuds, though it’s wonderfully flexible for various budgets and palates.
Mary Berry‘s take on the dish champions succulent lamb, which she notes becomes “really tender and melts in the mouth”, working brilliantly alongside rich gravy and veg crowned with soft potatoes.
The beauty of this stew lies in the simmering – the longer it bubbles away, the more the ingredients meld together, creating an incredible depth of taste.
It’s also a smart choice for those wanting to bolster their immune system, as it packs in plenty of goodness through its vegetable content.
With just 15 minutes of prep and an hour-and-a-half in the oven, this recipe couldn’t be more straightforward.
Irish stew
Ingredients
- Two tablespoons of plain flour
- 1kg neck fillet of lamb diced into 2cm cubes
- Two to three tablespoons of oil
- Two onions, sliced
- Two celery sticks, sliced
- Three medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- Two bay leaves
- One tablespoon of chopped thyme leaves
- 600ml of chicken or lamb stock
- 750g of floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper), peeled and cut into slices about one cm thick
Method
Begin by heating your oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Whilst that’s warming up, season your flour with salt and pepper, then toss the lamb pieces until well coated.
Brown them off in batches in a hot, flameproof casserole for four to six minutes, setting each batch aside with a slotted spoon.
Drizzle a touch more oil into the pan and gently fry the onions, celery, and carrots over a medium-high heat for four to five minutes.
Toss in the bay leaves, thyme, and your browned lamb. Pour over the stock and bring everything to the boil.
Reduce the heat and arrange the potato slices across the top, seasoning with salt and pepper to your liking. Gently press them down so they’re partially covered by the liquid.
Cover the dish and bake in the oven for one-and-a-half to two hours until it’s tender. Then, increase the temperature to 200C/ 180F /Gas 6 and cook for another eight to 10 minutes until the potatoes are golden.
Let the dish rest for five minutes before serving with your preferred leafy greens. Don’t forget to take out the bay leaves before serving.
