Family Style Irish Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. Rapeseed oil
• 2 lb. Lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1” chunks
• 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 larger carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 ½ C. Lamb of beef stock
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” slices
• 2 Tbs. butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place a large, flameproof casserole pot over high heat, add 1 Tbs. of the oil and brown the lamb pieces in two batches.  Remove and set aside on a plate.  Reduce the heat to a medium-high, add another Tbs. of oil and fry the onion, celery and carrot for 4-6 minutes or until the onions have softened.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Return the meat to the pot, along with the bay leaf and stock.  Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and push the slices of potato down into and across the top of the stew, dot with a little butter and give a final seasoning of sea salt and ground black pepper.  Cover and place in the oven to cook for about 1 ½ hours or until the meat is tender, the remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes until the potatoes have browned. Serve and enjoy!