“What do you think, Jimmy, they'll be eatin' chips out of our knickers ?"
For this weeks post I decided to include St. Paddy's Day as part of the criteria in searching for source material. There are SO many good Irish movies out there I found myself having a difficult time deciding which one to reference. After the dust settled I chose one not based on the food & drink featured – although there is a direct link to my pic with Guinness – but by the music featured instead. The Commitments might not be too high on your top 5 best Irish movies list, but I can assure you the soundtrack is second to none! I couldn't find an actual movie clip of the band performing the song below but there was a clean audio version I embedded. The photo originated from a magazine shoot I did last year and the recipe is one I found online and adjusted to more suit my needs – always double the meat & potatoes !! Hope you enjoy:
INGREDIENTS
- 4 pounds deboned lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 ½ cup sliced onions
- 1 cup sliced leeks
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 ½ quarts chicken stock
- 2 cups peeled carrots cut into 2 inch pieces
- 16 small red potatoes, peeled
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the lamb pieces in a Dutch oven and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Cool by running the meat under cold water.
- In the same Dutch oven, layer the meat, onions, leeks, celery, herbs, and salt and pepper. Cover with chicken stock. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Add carrots and potatoes. Simmer the stew another 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Correct seasonings with salt and pepper if needed. Serve, sprinkled with more chopped parsley.