Irish Lamb Stew Pie

Now this is what I've been waiting for: a good Irish dinner. Nothing is better than a hearty meal of meat and potatoes.

Irish Lamb Stew Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients
3 lbs gigot lamb chops, fat removed and cut into cubes
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 carrots, sliced into 3/4" rounds
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of thyme
6 Desiree or red potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2" slices
3 cups chicken or lamb stock
1/3 cup Guinness
2 tbsp HP Brown Sauce (American equivalent: A1 Sauce)
1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
1 sheet puff pastry
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
egg wash
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 320 degrees F.

In a heavy-based roasting pot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and fry the onion gently over medium heat until softened and opaque. Add in the cubed lamb meat and brown in two to three batches, removing the lamb after each batch and placing on a plate. (If you overcrowd the pan, the meat will sweat as opposed to brown.)

Add all the lamb meat back into the pot, then add carrots, celery and garlic; fry for a minute or two then add the sliced potatoes on top of all the ingredients, season with salt and black pepper.

In a small bowl combine the stock, Guinness, HP Brown Sauce and mustard then pour over all the ingredients in the pot. Add in the rosemary leaves, thyme sprig and a scattering of freshly chopped parsley, cover and simmer gently in the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully lay the puff pastry sheet over the top of the open pot, seal the edges (careful, the pot is very hot) and brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. Return the pot to the oven for approximately 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Photo and recipe courtesy of What Katie Ate