Mary Berry is known for her delicious yet simple recipes and her take on an Irish stew is no different – it’s the perfect comfort food for those cold winter nights
Winter is the perfect season for tucking into your much-loved hearty meals like a comforting stew – and you don’t have to be a whiz chef or need a pantry full of bits and bobs to whip up a terrific home-cooked meal.
Queen of the kitchen, Mary Berry, presents a stunningly straightforward one-pot Irish stew recipe in her ‘Classic’ tome that promises to warm the cockles of your heart – and it’s an absolute breeze to prepare, taking a mere 10 minutes before you bung it in the oven for a slow cook, reports the Express.
In her treasured collection of recipes, Mary confesses: “Full of flavour and one of the original one-pot dishes. I like to use the neck fillet, rather than the scrag end and middle neck joints on the bone, which is traditional.”
She lets on to her little trick for added oomph: “I also like to thicken the stock a little by tossing the meat in seasoned flour. Really tender, melt-in-the-mouth lamb, with flavoursome gravy and vegetables topped with tender potatoes.”
This lip-smacking stew is just the ticket for feeding crowds, especially if you’ve got the clan coming round in December because it’s assured to go down a treat with both grown-ups and kiddies. How about giving Mary Berry’s Irish stew a shot?
Here’s how to rustle up Mary Berry’s Irish stew
Ingredients (serves six to eight people)
- 1kg neck of lamb (diced into two-centimetre cubes)
- 600ml (one pint) of chicken or lamb stock
- 750g of potatoes (peeled and sliced one centimetre thick)
- Two onions (sliced)
- Two celery sticks (sliced)
- Three carrots (peeled and sliced)
- Two bay leaves
- One tablespoon of thyme leaves
- Two tablespoons of plain flour
- Two to three tablespoons of oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
Kick things off by preheating your oven to 180C (160C fan or Gas Mark 4). Combine the flour, salt, and pepper, then toss the lamb in the seasoned flour until it’s well coated.
Nip over to the hob, get your ovenproof casserole dish with a lid ready and heat some oil in there. When the oil is sizzling away nicely, chuck in the lamb and fry it off over high heat for four to six minutes flipping it now and then till it’s nice and golden.
If you’ve got a lot of lamb, make sure to cook it in batches so it browns properly, topping up the oil if needed. Once the lamb is looking spot on, scoop it out with a slotted spoon and let it sit pretty on a plate.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, then toss in your carrots, celery and onions. Let them sizzle on a medium heat for about four to five minutes.
Next, add the bay leaves, thyme and browned lamb to the dish, followed by pouring over the stock. Bring this mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and arrange the potatoes on top.
As you layer them, season the potatoes with salt and pepper, pressing down on them so they’re covered by the stew liquid. Cover the casserole dish with its lid and carefully place it in the oven.
Leave it to work its magic for an hour and a half to two hours until everything has softened. Once the time is up, remove the lid from the casserole dish and crank up the oven temperature to 200C (180C for fan or Gas Mark 6).
Cook the stew for another eight to 10 minutes or until the potatoes have turned crispy and golden brown. When it’s ready, take the stew out of the oven and let it rest for five minutes. Discard the bay leaves and voila! Your mouthwatering Irish stew is ready to be served.
