The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Irish stew offers comfort
Two ingredients bring abundant flavor.
One of my favorite dishes to make for St. Patrick’s Day is a rich, hearty lamb stew. It offers comforting so lace against whatever weather March is throwing at us and goes well with celebratory drinks.
Since we’ll be celebrating yet another holiday at home, such a stew is even more welcome.
It’s even possible to transform this traditionally slow- cooked dish into a 30- minute meal by using two key shortcut ingredients: ground lamb and frozen roast potatoes.
I’ ve used ground meat in many a 5: 30 Challenge adaptation, and, because it is so rich, lamb is a particularly great candidate for this trick.
It’ ll bring abundant flavor to the stew, even after only 10 minutes of simmering, and its high fat content means there’s little risk of dry or overcooked meat, even if you happen to forget about it for a bit.
Frozen roast potatoes come fully cooked, lightly browned, and mixed with chopped onions.
If you can’ t find them at the grocery store, use frozen french fri es or hash browns. Add the potatoes to the stew straight from the freezer; by the time they’ re hot, they’ ll have absorbed the flavor of the lamb and broken down just a touch to help thicken the stew.
Brands for this style of potatoes can vary widely in sodium levels.
Because of this, I prefer to use low- or no- sodium broth, and then wait until the soup has finished simmering to season with salt.
For a pop of lucky green color, stir in a big handful of frozen peas at the end of cooking.
Like the potatoes, they do not need to thaw; they only take about minute to heat through.
If you’ve got parsley in the house, it makes a nice garnish — and brings a little more luck.
>>> See Irish Lamb Stew recipe on E5
Vegetable or extravirgin olive oil 1 pound ground lamb 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 2 ( 10- ounce) bags frozen roasted potatoes 2 cups low- sodium chicken broth 1 cup frozen peas Salt and freshly ground black pepper OPTIONAL: Chopped fresh parsley, for serving Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with oil and place over mediumhigh heat. When the oil is hot, add the lamb. Cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until it is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the thyme, stir, then add the potatoes and chicken broth. Increase the heat to high, bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are hot and have taken on the flavor of the lamb, about 10 minutes. Stir in the peas and continue to simmer until they are heated through, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, topped with parsley if desired.
Serves 4.
Per serving: 515 calories ( percent of calories from fat, 55), 86 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 31 grams total fat ( 12 grams saturated), 83 milligrams cholesterol, 889 milligrams sodium.