Irish Stew with Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 lb lamb (or beef)
3 lbs potatoes
1/2 lb carrots
1/2 lb parsnips
2 or 3 onions
Oil for sautéing
1Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups liquid (stock from bones if you have time to make it; or a combination of meat stock, wine, and water)
Salt, pepper, 5 bay leaves, 1 tsp basil
[Optional] 1/2 cup barley and add extra cup of liquid
Method:
Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Brown the onions and the meat with a bit of oil. Slice up the carrots and parsnips. Sauté them for a few minutes and then add a little brown sugar to glaze them. Meanhwile, be peeling and slicing the potatoes. Slice small potatoes in four, big ones in 6 or 8 pieces. Stick them in a casserole dish with the meat and onions, and add the liquid. If desired, add some barley, but only a small smount (handful), as it swells up a lot, and add the extra liquid. Add salt and pepper, a few bay leaves, some basil and other herbs if you want. Cover the dish and bake the potatoes and meat in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, then add the carrots and parsnips. (If you want to leave it cooking, you can add everything at the same time). It needs to cook for about 1 to 1.5 hours. It's ready when the potatoes are tender.
[Note: this makes a vegetable-rich stew. For the more traditional meat-rich stew, incerase the proportion of meat to vegetables. You can also add turnips if you like them.]
