Fall shouts out for slow cooked (or coddled) dishes. The kind that warm the heart on a long, rainy day or a chill evening. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you love stews, this dish will not only warm your heart, but it will warm your soul as well. Don’t let the simple looks fool you, what this stew lacks in looks it more than makes up for in deep and complex flavors, all while retaining a lovely rustic, homey charm.
The coddle is a traditional Irish recipe that has been a favorite in Dublin since the 17th century. It’s traditionally served with soda bread to mop up the juices, and trust me, you’re going to want to mop them up, they’re succulent.
Whether you make this dish on a chill fall evening, for a satisfying winter dinner or for an authentic Irish meal for St. Patrick’s day, just make it. We can’t recommend it enough.
*For my friends who prefer to cook in a slow cooker, just follow the recipe up until it’s time to layer the casserole and plunk the ingredients in your crock pot on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- 1 pound sliced bacon
- 8 good quality pork sausages
- 4 onions, sliced
- black pepper
- 1 leek, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme (or about 1/2 tsp dried)
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 12 ounces of your favorite beer
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Soda Bread for serving
Method
Heat oven to 300 degrees (150 C, Gas 2)
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just crisping around the edges. Remove from skillet, slice in half width-wise and set aside on paper towels. Reserve bacon grease.
Wipe skillet clean with paper towels and return to heat. Cook the sausages for about 15 minutes or until well browned, turning once. if necessary, add a tablespoon or two of the bacon grease to prevent them from sticking. Remove from skillet, cut into bite sized pieces and set aside. (Note, the sausages probably won't be cooked through, but that's OK!)
Reduce heat to medium low add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 7 to 10 minutes or until soft but not colored. Add more bacon grease if necessary.
Layer the onions, sausage and bacon in a large casserole or dutch oven. Season each layer generously with black pepper. Add the leek, herbs, and garlic, then place all the potatoes on top. Season with coarse salt and a bit more black pepper, then pour over the stock and the beer.
Cover dish tightly and bring to a boil on the stove top. Transfer to the heated oven and cook for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Serve with Soda Bread for sopping up the juices.
Share and enjoy!
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
To be honest, we just wished that we had doubled the recipe! This is killer, killer good stuff.
Links to other recipes like this:
- Dublin Coddle (Oh So Good), from The Nourishing Gourmet
- Dublin Coddle For St. Patrick’s Day, from One Perfect Bite
- a Vegan Coddle with faux-sages, from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, this looks wonderful! I think I’ll add it as a surprise dish for my Thanksgiving table. :)
Well, that sounds like a great warming dish. I guess instead of my favourite beer it’s supposed to contain some kind of Irish beer, like the dark one, everyone knows.
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Chris,
Actually, I’d skip the Guinness on this one and use a lighter beer. I actually used a light porter and it was fabulous.
Need to find a GF beer.
Laura,
You can find a lot of good GF beers out there. Here’s a list of 10 : 10 Gluten-Free Beers That Actually Taste Good: BA Daily
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