Top o’ the mornin’ to ya! We are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with an authentic Irish Coddle. Coddle is a centuries-old slow-cooked one-pot wonder. It is a potato-heavy stew, made with a handful of simple ingredients. The result is a comforting meal on a chilly evening. Its deliciousness is in its simplicity.
As the story goes, the Irish coddle’s popularity can be attributed to the fact that an Irish wife could go to bed and leave it simmering for hours so that it might be ready for when her husband arrived home from the pub.
For the most authentic version of Irish coddle, use Irish sausage. Traditional Irish sausages, however, can be hard to track down in the states. Substitute a high-quality pork sausage instead.
I like beer brats, but a good Polish sausage or pork breakfast links will provide good results. Regardless of the sausage you chose remember, coddle is always best served with a pint of Guinness and lots of Irish soda bread to mop up the gravy. 😉
Irish Coddle
Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes quartered
- 1 pound Irish pork sausage links 2″ slices
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon roughly chopped
- 3 onions sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bottle stout beer
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300ºF.
- Peel your potatoes, quartering the big ones (small can be left whole).
- Grill the sausages and bacon until browned.
- Take a heavy pot, and layer your ingredients in the following order (starting at the bottom): onions, bacon, sausages, and potatoes. Season and add the herbs to each layer.
- Pour the stock and beer over the top. Add the bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Place in the oven for 3 hours. Check after 2 hours, adding more stock if necessary.