Irish Eatery Qr Menu Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a round cake pan.

In a large bowl whisk together the wholemeal flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar (if using) until evenly combined.

Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk and melted butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. If dough is too dry, add up to 2 tbsp additional buttermilk; if too wet, lightly dust with flour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and briefly knead 6–8 turns just to bring it together — do not overwork. Shape into a round about 1.5–2 inches thick.

Place the round on the prepared sheet/pan. Using a sharp knife, score a deep cross across the top (this helps it bake evenly and is traditional).

Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. For a crisper crust, bake 5 more minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with butter.

Brown the lamb

Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Pat lamb dry and season lightly with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Working in batches, brown the lamb cubes on all sides until well-colored, about 4–5 minutes per batch. Transfer browned lamb to a plate and set aside.

Sauté vegetables

Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook until softened and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook 3–4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Deglaze and build stew

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Pour in the stout (if using) to deglaze the pot, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Let the stout reduce slightly for 2 minutes.

Return the browned lamb to the pot along with the potatoes, stock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.

Reduce heat to low, cover partially with lid, and simmer gently for 1 to 1¼ hours, stirring occasionally, until lamb is tender and potatoes are cooked through. If stew becomes too thin, cook uncovered for the last 10–15 minutes to reduce. If it gets too thick, add a little stock or water.

About 10 minutes before the end of cooking, taste and adjust seasoning with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Stir in chopped parsley. If you prefer a thicker stew, mash a few potato chunks against the side of the pot and stir to thicken.

Ladle the lamb stew into bowls. Serve each portion with thick slices of warm brown soda bread and a pat of butter. Garnish the stew with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.