By Marj Watkins
One year, back when my husband was alive and well, we decided to visit Ireland for our vacation. We found our way to Dublin and rented a house a bit north of Dublin and near the bus stop. The bus was not due yet, but there was a restaurant beckoning a few steps away. We could see people being served steaming bowls of something that looked delicious! A man at the bus stop said it was Irish stew, and that it was hearty and delicious. We were feeling a bit peckish, so we decided to skip the bus trip for now and to have some Irish stew, Stobhach Gaedhealach.
The mainstay of the stew is potatoes and lamb, and we were reminded of the famine in Ireland when the potato crop failed and so many Irish came to America, bringing with them their recipe for Stobach Gaedhealach. My heart was touched to learn that the American Chocktaw Nation sent money to Ireland during the famine. They knew what it was like to be hungry. Not so long before, they had been forced to give up their fertile land and migrate north, shivering and nearly starving, to a colder climate.
Irish Stew (Stobach Gaedhealach)
3 pounds of potatoes, sliced
½ pound lamb shank, cut into bite-sized pieces
¼ pound bacon
2 large white onions, chopped into little pieces
1½ tsp sea salt
1½ tsp black pepper
10 ounces of water (1¼ cups)
Place half of the potato pieces on the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven. Then place a layer of lamb, onion, and bacon atop the potatoes. Repeat. Pour the water over all. Place a lid on the pot. Cook gently for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Test, and add more salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.
