Dublin Coddle

I’m channeling my inner Irish for this St. Patrick’s Day recipe. And I can truly say that because I just recently found out I’m part Irish!

My aunt just did one of those mail-in DNA tests and found out that we’re 40% British and Irish. So I am embracing it and going all out this St. Patrick’s Day. And by “all out,” I mean eating potato-based dishes.

You know what’s funny though is so many people celebrate the Irish holiday with potatoes, but actually St. Patrick himself would have never experienced the joy of eating a spud because he was alive during the 5th century and potatoes weren’t introduced to Europe until the Spanish invaded South America in the mid-1500s.

But, as you’ve probably realized, it didn’t take long for it to become one of the Emerald Isle’s most prized crops. Mmmmm starch.

Obviously, potatoes are a big part of Irish dishes in present day, so I think celebrating with them is certainly appropriate. And they’re one of the main ingredients in the recipe I’m sharing today.

Dublin coddle is comparable to an Irish stew. It’s made with potatoes, onion, sausage, and bacon. Traditionally, it was a good way to use up any extra meat lying around on Thursdays—this was at a time when Catholics didn’t eat meat on Fridays. It’s still a mainstay on Irish menus  and is very popular in Irish pubs because it’s tasty, comforting, and very filling.

I added a few things to the traditional recipe to give it more flavor. The first thing I added was Guinness beer. Guinness, or stout beer, is an ingredient commonly used in Irish stews.

The alcohol in the Guinness is cooked off, so it doesn’t taste like beer soup. The Guinness just adds an extra depth of flavor. It’s dark, rich flavor is a nice complement to sweet foods, so I also added carrots to the dish to sweeten things up. The yellow onions helped sweeten things too, providing a nice contrast of flavors.

Also, I want to point out that browning the sausages is an extra step, but it makes a hug difference in flavor.

After you’ve cooked the coddle low and slow, serve it with a chunk of crusty Irish soda bread to sop up the broth!

Dublin Coddle

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 pound pork sausages (Irish bangers or brats work well)
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 cup Guinness beer (or other stout beer)
• 2 pounds red potatoes, cut in large chunks
• 1 pound carrots, cut in half-inch chunks
• 2 large yellow onions, cut in large chunks
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 Tablespoons parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Heat a large Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot on the stove over high heat.
3. Fry up the bacon in the Dutch oven until crisp; remove bacon and cut into half-inch pieces
4. Add sausages to Dutch oven and cook just to brown each side—you don’t want them to cook completely
5. Remove and cut into 1-inch pieces
6. Reduce heat to low and whisk flour into grease; slowly whisk in Guinness
7. Layer half the potatoes, carrots, onions, bacon, and sausages to the pot.
8. Sprinkle in half the garlic, parsley, 1 bay leaf, and half the pepper
9. Layer in the remaining potatoes, carrots, onions, bacon, and sausages, and sprinkle remaining garlic, parsley, bay leaf, and pepper.
10. Pour chicken broth over everything and heat on stove until broth comes to a boil.
11. Once broth boils, turn off stove, place lid on Dutch oven, and bake for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Recipe adapted from Wholefully