Succulent lamb cooked in a rich gravy flavored with thyme and Guinness, makes this Irish lamb stew the perfect comfort food served with mashed potatoes.
1½kg (3 pounds) stewing lamb(shoulder/leg, de-boned and cubed)
2onionsfinely chopped
4carrotspeeled and chopped
2pieces fresh celeryfinely chopped
4garlic cloves crushed
1tbspdried thyme
2tbspflour(optional)
1cupred wine
500ml (2 cups) Guinness
1-2cupsbeef/lamb stock(to top up the liquid of the stew if necessary)
500g (1lbs) potatoespeeled and roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pot and brown the lamb in batches. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, sauté the onions, carrots and celery until they start to color slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute then add the flour.
Stir to coat the vegetables in the flour then add the wine and some stock, if necessary. Allow to simmer until the wine reduces.
Add the lamb and Guinness to the pot and stir to combine with the vegetables. If necessary, top up with stock to ensure the meat is covered in liquid.
Lower the heat and gently simmer with the lid ajar for an hour to 90 minutes or until the lamb starts to soften. If necessary, add more stock during cooking.
Add the chopped potatoes when the lamb starts to soften and cook for another 30-45 minutes over low heat until the sauce has thickened and the potatoes and lamb are cooked through.