Chef John's Irish Stew

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 145 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

This hearty Irish stew is packed with lamb, potatoes, and carrots and is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients

3 pounds lamb shoulder chops
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
water as needed
1 1/2 pounds baby Dutch yellow potatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions

1 Season lamb shoulder chops with salt and black pepper.
2 Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Working in batches, cook lamb shoulder chops until browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chops to a stock pot.
3 Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt in the same skillet over medium heat until slightly softened and edges are browning, about 5 minutes. Stir butter into onion until melted; add flour and stir until onions are coated, about 1 minute.
4 Pour stock into onion mixture; bring to a boil, add rosemary, and stir until mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.
5 Stir carrots and celery into pot with lamb shoulder chops and pour chicken stock mixture over the top. Add water as needed to cover meat completely. Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and cook until meat is almost falling off the bone, about 1 1/2 hours.
6 Transfer meat to a plate. Stir potatoes into stew and return meat to stew, placing on top of vegetables. Simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender and meat is falling off the bone, about 30 minutes.
7 Transfer meat to a plate using a slotted spoon. Bring stew to a boil and cook, skimming off fat, until stew is reduced and thick, 10 to 12 minutes.
8 Remove meat from bones; discard bones and any pieces of fat. Stir meat back into stew. Stir green onions into stew and season with salt and pepper to taste.