Traditional Irish Stew

This is a beautiful and easy winter dinner. It is great served with either mashed potatoes (my family like a mixture of regular and sweet potatoes) or brown rice. If you prefer you can swap the lamb for beef, but we love the traditional lamb version.

We all know the benefts of salad vegetables, but winter vegetables are also packed with nutrients. Read our blog on eating the rainbow to find out about the benefits of the yellow and orange swede, turnips, potatoes and carrots. Leave the skin on the potatoes it’s a great source of fibre and vitamins - your gut microbiome will thank you for it!

INGREDIENTS:

(

serves 6)

• 900g of diced lamb

• 1 tbspn olive oil

• 400g swede peeled and cut into large cubes

• 400g turnip peeled and cut into large cubes

• 660g (5) carrots peeled and cut into chunks

• 366g parsnip – cut into segments and cut out the woody centre

• 500g baby potatoes (halved – leave the skin on)

• 1 tbspn Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tbspn tomato puree

• ½ litre vegetable stock

• ½ litre beef stock

• Pepper

• 2 tbspn chopped parsley

METHOD:
1)     Prepare the vegetables.

2)     Heat the oil in a large deep pan.

3)     Brown the lamb in batches.

4)     Return to the pan with all the vegetables except the potatoes add the stock and stir well to dislodge any caramelized juices.

5)     Bring to a simmer and remove any skum.

6)     Add the tomato puree and the worcestorshire sauce, and hald the chopped parsley and stir through, ensure all the meat is covered in liquid.

7)     Simmer gently for 30 min, add the potatoes and cover.

8)     Gently simmer for at least another 30mins or until lamb is tender.

9)     If the sauce is too thin, thicken either by squashing a couple of the potatoes, or mix some a tablespoon of the sauce with ½ tablespoon of cornflour then stir through and simmer for another 10 mins.