We realise we haven’t yet said a word about Irish stew. Which, frankly, is inexplicable given how often we eat it! There are a lot of strong feelings out there in the English-speaking world about which is the most authentic kind of stew and who does it best. (Ditto for the shepherd’s/cottage pie wars.) We don’t much care about these arguments. They all taste fabulous to us, including their cousin, the traditional English meat pie. But we do feel like we’ve been able to discern some key differences here in Dublin.
First of all, there is such a thing as shepherd’s pie in Ireland. We see how you might be confused, though; many soi-disant ‘pies’ are actually stews with a little something on top. Mashed potato might be that something (thanks to Sir Walter Raleigh, who brought potatoes over in the sixteenth century). But more often, it’s a pastry crust. In such cases – DO NOT FRET – there will be potatoes in the stew itself, or on the side, or sometimes both. The Irish are decent folk and they will never short you on potatoes.
So far this one wins the competition, hands down!
Irish stew has chunks of meat, sometimes with bones, plus onions and potatoes. Some versions include carrots, root vegetables, celery, garlic and herbs. But some eschew these as arriviste interlopers, adding unnecessary complications to what is otherwise a perfect dish. And Irish stew is often lamb- or mutton-based, rather than the beef more common in the U.K. Don’t spurn Irish beef stews, though; they are also outstanding. In our opinion, anything with the words ‘beef and Guinness’ is worth ordering, whatever it is. And this goes double for stews! Irish stew can be either thick or thin, but a good one will never be watery.
And that’s pretty much all we have to say about Irish stew. Other than that it’s worth your while to get your hands on a bowl any time you can. And don’t worry too much about who invented it.
