Anne Morgan In Delia Smith’s Irish stew, you layer lamb, onions, carrots, leeks and potato with a little pearl barley. It makes a lamb stew for 4 to 6 people, with crusty dumplings baked on top at the end. Allow about 3 hours, but you only work for the first 25 minutes.
In 1995 she put it in her Winter Collection, under the name A Bit of the Irish Stew. It is her updated version of the Irish stew in her Complete Cookery Course.
Serve it the Irish way, as Delia suggests, with plain boiled cabbage. You get soft lamb in a light broth, with dumplings that bake crusty and crunchy on top.
For lamb under a potato crust instead, try her Lancashire hotpot. For beef with dumplings, her beef stew has its own page.
Delia Smith’s Irish Stew with Crusted Dumplings
Course: DinnerCuisine: IrishDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings25
minutes2
hours40
minutes880
kcalNeck fillet and cutlets of lamb cooked slowly with root vegetables, leeks and barley. Parsley dumplings go on top for the last 30 minutes and bake crisp in a hot oven.
Ingredients
- For the stew:
1.35kg (3lb) neck fillets of lamb and best end of neck cutlets, mixed
2 tablespoons seasoned plain flour
350g (12oz) onions, thickly sliced
225g (8oz) carrots, cut in chunks
2 medium leeks, washed and sliced
1 large potato (about 275g/10oz), peeled and cut in chunks
1 rounded tablespoon pearl barley
salt and freshly milled black pepper
- For the dumplings:
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
75g (3oz) shredded suet
salt and freshly milled black pepper
- To garnish:
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Directions
- Prepare: Dry the meat on kitchen paper and trim off any extra fat. Cut the fillets into 4cm (1½in) rounds, then dip them and the cutlets in the seasoned flour.
- Layer: Put a layer of meat in the casserole, then a layer of onion, carrot, leek and potato, and season well. Keep layering until everything is in.
- Water: Sprinkle in the pearl barley and pour in about 1.2 litres (2 pints) of hot water. Bring it up to a simmer and spoon off any scum.
- Simmer: Cover with a well-fitting lid and leave it on the lowest possible heat for 2 hours.
- Oven: Near the end of the 2 hours, heat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas mark 6.
- Dumplings: Mix the flour and parsley with some salt and pepper. Stir in the suet, but do not rub it in. Add just enough cold water to make a fairly stiff but elastic dough that leaves the bowl clean. Knead it lightly and shape it into 12 dumplings.
- Bake: Take off the lid and put the dumplings all over the top of the stew. Put the casserole on the top shelf of the oven, without its lid, for 30 minutes, until the dumplings are golden brown and crusty.
- Serve: Put the meat around the vegetables and dumplings, with some of the liquid poured over and the rest in a gravy boat. Scatter over the chopped parsley.
Notes
- You need a 3.5 litre (6 pint) flameproof casserole, because it goes on the hob first and then into the oven.
- Her website gives 1.3kg of lamb and level spoonfuls of flour and parsley. Everything else matches the book.
FAQs
How do I make her Irish stew with parsley dumplings?
This is the older recipe, from her Complete Cookery Course, for 4 people. It all cooks on the hob. Delia says she makes no claim that it is really Irish, but she says it tastes very good.
Dip 1.25kg (2½lb) of middle neck and scrag of mutton or lamb in 2 tablespoons of seasoned flour. Then layer it in a large saucepan with 350g (12oz) of onions, 225g (8oz) of carrots, 2 leeks and 1 large potato, all sliced. Add 1 tablespoon of pearl barley, cover it with about 1.2 litres of hot water and simmer it, covered, for about 2 hours.
For 8 dumplings, mix 110g (4oz) of self-raising flour, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, 50g (2oz) of suet and some cold water. Lift out the meat and vegetables and keep them warm, then boil the dumplings in the liquid, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Keep it boiling the whole time.
Which lamb should I buy for Irish stew?
For this recipe, ask for a mix of neck fillet and best end of neck cutlets. Her Complete Cookery Course uses middle neck and scrag end instead, and lets you use mutton or lamb.
In the American edition of her Winter Collection, the neck fillet becomes filleted lamb shoulder chops. That edition also uses 2 tablespoons of coarse pearl barley, in a smaller 2.8 litre (3 US quart) pot with about 950ml of water. If your butcher has no neck fillet, that shoulder swap is my own pick.
What makes Irish stew different from other stews?
Nothing gets browned first. You dip the raw lamb in flour and layer it straight into the pot with the vegetables.
It also cooks in plain water, not stock, with a spoonful of pearl barley. In the grains part of her Complete Cookery Course, Delia names Irish stew as a dish where barley is a good addition.
Can I make Irish stew ahead?
You can, once the 2 hours of simmering are done. Delia says many casseroles taste better the next day, so cool it quickly and keep it in the fridge.
Her rule for reheating is a gentle simmer for a full 30 minutes. My own tip is to do that on the hob, then add the dumplings and bake them as in step 7.
Can I use butter instead of suet in the dumplings?
Yes, butter works. The US printing of the Winter Collection gives grated chilled butter as the swap for shredded suet.
My own tip is to use the same weight of butter, grated straight from the fridge. Then mix it in lightly, just as you would the suet.
Does Delia have a lighter lamb stew?
Yes, she has two. Her Frugal Food book has a Navarin of Lamb for 4, with middle neck, baby turnips, small onions and new potatoes. She likes it best in summer, but says chunks of old potatoes work in winter.
Her Complete Cookery Course adds a Ragout of Lamb for 2 to 3, with neck of lamb, new potatoes and tomatoes. She calls it an excellent summer casserole, while her lamb casserole with flageolet beans suits winter.
