Irish Lamb Stew with Guinness and Root Vegetables

5 from 1 vote

A flavorful lamb stew recipe flavored with root vegetables and Guinness or stout. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Prep Time25

Cook Time2

Total Time2 25

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: Irish, Lamb, Lamb stew

Servings: servings

Calories: 682kcal

Cost: 10

1.5 lbs lamb stew meat, goat stew meat or shoulder cut into 1-inch pieces
3 lbs mixed root vegetables and potatoes peeled and cut into large pieces (see photo)
1 medium yellow onion
1.5 cups dark beer such as Guinness
All purpose flour as needed for dredging
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 large cloves garlic finely minced
½ cup rendered lamb fat or other cooking oil
4 cups lamb stock or water or beef stock in a pinch
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh
2 dried bay leaves

Pour the beer over the meat and refrigerate overnight (optional). The next day, remove the meat and dry well, then season the lamb with salt (1 teaspoon) and lightly with pepper.
Toss the meat with flour, add the lamb to the fat and brown, then add the garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
Add the beer, thyme, bay leaves, a good pinch of salt, and stock, cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Skim the fat off the top and discard, then add the vegetables and cook until they’re tender and taste good to you, about 30 minutes more at a gentle simmer.
Finally, double check the seasoning for salt and adjust as needed. From here the stew can be served as-is, but will taste better after a day, which will thicken it a bit more from the potatoes, and allow you to remove the fat that settles on the top.

For a meatier stew, you can use 2 lbs of meat.
Different cuts of lamb can be used, but lamb shoulder or neck will be the most tender. Stew meat from a leg of lamb will be dry.
I use a mix of root vegetables, but if all you have is celery, carrots, potatoes and onions it'll be just fine.