Irish Stew

This is a dish that requires little attention once it is assembled and put in the oven. It's almost an all-in-one event and requires only a green vegetable accompaniment - we enjoyed some crisp fresh beans.

I like to use shoulder chops rather than neck chops for this dish and I was fortunate to get some very lean ones that needed a minimum of trimming.

This is the dish, much as my grandmother and her mother made it. No doubt they learned it off one of the Irish grannies. Mum says her cousin used to call it "bone stew."

Irish Stew

8 shoulder lamb chops
500ml chicken stock (or water)
2 leeks
2 carrots
4 medium potatoes
1 parsnip

Remove any visible fat from the chops and cut each one in half. Place in a large casserole dish with the chicken stock. Trim the leeks to below the level where the dirt goes between the layers - the cleaned tops can be used for soup. Cut the whole leeks into 2.5cm lengths. Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut into chunks. Peel the potatoes, if necessary, and cut into halves then quarters.

Add the vegetables to the casserole. Cover with a lid and bake at 160C for 2-3 hours until the meat falls away from the bone. Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Before serving, skim off any fat and then thicken the gravy with a little flour mixed with cold water. Reheat.

This is a pale stew. Don't be tempted to try to change the colour with spurious additives.

Sprinkle the finished dish with some chopped fresh herbs like parsley. Serve with a green vegetable and enjoy.