Rootitoot Irish Lamb Stew
Irish Lamb Stew from The Rootitoot Cookbook, A Grandma's Recipes for Your Instant Pot. The extra step of roasting the vegetables before adding them adds a LOT of flavour.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | oil |
| 5 cup | 1.2 l | potatoes, cut into 1 1/2" pieces |
| 1 | large onion, cut into 1" pieces | |
| 3 cup | 720 ml | carrots, cut into 2" pieces |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | oil |
| 1.5 lb | 680 g | lamb stew meat (or beef) |
| 4 | garlic cloves, minced | |
| 3 cup | 720 ml | chicken broth |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | tomato paste |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | brown sugar |
| 0.5 tsp | 2.5 ml | dried thyme |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | chopped fresh parsley |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | cornstarch |
| 0.25 cup | 60 ml | water |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | frozen peas |
Instructions
- Turn the oven to 400 degrees. In a large ziplock bag, put the 2 Tbsp oil, potatoes, carrots, and onions and give it a good shake to coat the vegetables.
- Pour the vegetables onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. (You don't HAVE to do this if you're in a hurry, but it greatly adds to the flavour.)
- Hit the Sauté button and when it says Hot, add the 1 Tbsp oil. When it's shimmering, add about half the meat and brown well on all sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat. Add the garlic for the last minute and then hit Cancel.
- Add the broth and thoroughly deglaze the pan: scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot into the liquid. (If you skip this step, the Instant Pot may interpret the stuck-on bits as burning food and display the dreaded "Burn" notice and shut down.)
- Toss in the tomato paste, brown sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Push Pressure Cook (or Manual) and adjust the time to 30 minutes. When it beeps that it's done, leave it for 15 minutes natural release.
- Drain any excess oil from the roasted vegetables. Flip the valve to Venting to release the remaining pressure. When the pin drops, open the pot and add the vegetables (not the peas). Close it again, reset the valve to Sealing, push Pressure Cook (or Manual) and adjust the time to 5 minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch with the water until smooth. When it beeps that it's done, hit Cancel and do a quick release by flipping the valve to Venting.
- When the pin drops, open it up and hit the Sauté button. The stew should be bubbling or close to it. Add about half of the cornstarch slurry and stir gently (the vegetables will be tender and you don't want to break them up). When it comes to a boil the gravy will thicken. If you want it a little thicker, add more of the slurry, boiling after each addition. Then press Cancel and stir in the frozen peas — the heat of the stew is enough to cook them.
- Stir in the parsley (or just sprinkle it over the top) and taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Pour yourself a Guinness and enjoy.