Lamb
Pulled Irish lamb stew
What could be better on a cold winter's day?
Ingredients
- ½ shoulder lamb
- 1 litre lamb stock (or a bag of lamb bones)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 500g floury potatoes, such as King Edwards, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 large onion, thickly sliced
- 500g carrots, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks
- 500g waxy potatoes, such as Pentland Javelin or Maris Peer, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp pearled barley (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Trim the lamb of any obvious fat. Place the lamb and stock (or bones with 1 litre of water), bay leaves, 1 sprig of thyme and seasoning in a casserole (ideally a slow cooker) and cook very gently until the lamb will pull apart. Turn every couple of hours.
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Step 2
Skim off any impurities that float to the top. This should take 6-12 hours – overnight in a slow cooker is good. Remove the lamb, strain the broth and allow to cool for an hour.
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Step 3
Spoon off any fat on the surface. Add the floury potatoes, onion and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the carrots, waxy potatoes, pearled barley (if using) and remaining thyme. Gently simmer for 30 minutes.
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Step 4
Meanwhile, pull the lamb off the bone. Shred or roughly chop, removing any obvious fat. Return the lamb to the casserole. Taste the broth and if it's a bit too fatty, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice. Season well.
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Step 5
Cook for another 10 minutes, check everything is cooked and serve with the chopped parsley.
