Meals for Under £10: Mary Berry’s Irish Stew

LIKE lots of traditional recipes, there’s isn’t one set list of ingredients for Irish stew.

Mary Berry’s recipe uses neck fillet and thickens the stock by tossing the meat in seasoned flour. The result is a tender, tasty one pot meal – what’s not to love?

Remember to check the stew after 90 minutes to make sure it isn’t drying out.

Extracted from Classic By Mary Berry (BBC Books, £26). Photography by Georgia Glynn Smith.

You’ll need:

2 tbsp plain flour

1kg neck fillet of lamb, diced

2–3 tbsp oil

2 onions, sliced

2 celery sticks, sliced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves

600ml chicken or lamb stock

750g floury potatoes, sliced 1cm thick

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Season flour and then toss in lamb. Heat some oil in a wide-based flameproof, ovenproof dish with a lid, then fry in batches over a high heat for 4–6 minutes until golden.

Add oil as needed and remove each batch with a slotted spoon to set aside while you cook the rest. Add a little more oil to the pan, then tip in onions, celery and carrots and fry over a medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes.

Add bay leaves and thyme and scatter the browned lamb over the top. Pour over stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and arrange potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper as you layer potato slices, gently pressing down so the liquid rises to cover them.

Cover with lid and carefully transfer to the oven to cook for 1½–2 hours or until tender. Increase oven temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, remove lid and cook 8 – 10 minutes more until potatoes are golden.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes and remove bay leaves. Serve with a leafy green vegetable.