Almost Irish Stew: A Family Affair
This stew is almost Irish because ... well ... WE are almost Irish. Technically Irish-American for five generations, Doran is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic, Ó Deoradháin.
We do drink a lot of whiskey, however, and pass on a healthy dose of Catholic guilt with our family traditions.
We also use lamb instead of its much older counterpart, mutton, for this stew - which would certainly draw the ire of our Irish counterparts! My dad joined me this week in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day to make our version of the stew. Most years, we’d also be preparing to put on kilts, drink whiskey before 8 AM, and march around town with the Almost Irish Marching Club.
Almost Irish Stew
Feeds 6-8 people depending on how hungry you are! Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 1.5 - 2 hours. (Does not include time for the seasoned lamb to rest: 1-2 hours). The great thing about stew is that once it’s cooking, it can sit on the stove on low almost all day. The longer it sits, the better it will taste - especially as leftovers the next day!
1 lb lamb shoulder meat, cut into 2” cubes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
kosher sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp Irish butter or bacon grease
10-12 small pearl onions, peeled
3-4 stalks celery cut into 1” pieces
3-4 large carrots cut into 1” pieces
4 oz. baby portobello mushrooms sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp ea., chopped fresh rosemary and thyme
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
(4) 12 oz. bottles Guinness Stout
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lb small red or yellow boiling potatoes
water
A Family Affair
Most of the Dorans (me and dad on the left), sisters Elise and Katie, and uncles Andrew and James - post-shots, but pre-parade, for St. Patrick’s Day 2019. Yes, there is a tiger behind us … because, LSU.
Family lore advises that anyone with a penchant for merriment make their stew the night before. Don’t drink too much of the Guinness required for its preparation either - lest you wake up late on St. Patrick’s Day and miss the morning shot (okay, shots) of whiskey taken at 8:00 AM sharp (along with your photo) in a kilt.
Baton Rouge Almost Irish Marching Club
Photo credit: CK Photography BR, LLC
Morning whiskey, blessed by a real priest no less.
Photo credit: CK Photography BR, LLC
Follow that with a solid 2.6 miles of walking (and drinking) through crowds of parade-goers with some of your favorite people (The Almost Irish Marching Club: Kilts and Kisses). There are bagpipes and the weather is usually great - so I’m not complaining! As with everything, however, our annual St. Patrick’s Day traditions have been curtailed by the pandemic - two years and counting.
Our resident bagpiper leading the pack.
Photo credit: CK Photography BR, LLC
Yours truly (center-right) and the crew about to descend into the most crowded part of the parade route.
Photo credit: CK Photography BR, LLC
So we made the stew early - like a week early - but mostly so I could document it and share it with you all. We also received ample (unsolicited) commentary, advice, and a watchful eye from the one and only Mary E. Doran - also known as grandma, the badger, and many other nicknames depending on who you ask.
Lamb shoulder comes bone-in or cut into chunks for stew. Your local butcher or a good grocery store like Whole Foods will typically carry it. Season and rest the meat 1-2 hours ahead.
Dredging the seasoned lamb in a healthy dose of flour under the watchful eyes of seanmháthair (grandmother in Gaelic, but we don’t call her that or really know how to say it).
Our version has such blasphemous things as celery, thyme, rosemary, and even a little garlic - and, of course, it’s made with lamb. Traditional Irish stew, the country’s national dish, was a simple dish of meat, potatoes, onions, and parsley. Despite this, I think our ancestors would approve if they tasted it. To our credit, mutton (adult lamb two years or older) is not widely available in the U.S. Once an abundant meat brought over from the old country, mutton dramatically fell out of favor after WWII when American G.I.s returned home and refused to eat it after subsisting on canned mutton (among other unsavory things) during the war. Supply and demand took care of the rest.
Dredging the seasoned lamb in flour and then browning it develops a lot of flavor and helps thicken the stew.
Our ancestors: William Davis Doran (center) was first to journey to America in 1869, landing in New Orleans. My great-grandfather (William J. Doran Sr.) and his dad (Daniel Brannigan Doran) are all the way to the right. These hearty folk likely ate Irish stew made with mutton from time to time.
I made this family tree as a Christmas present to my family, tracing us back six generations. The text was written in a journal by my great-grandfather (William J. Doran, Sr. - the scowling boy on the right in the previous photo). They came from Sneem in County Kerry.
This isn’t the first time we’ve revisited our Irish history either. My dad kissed the Blarney Stone in County Cork when he was twelve years old. According to the official story, the Blarney Stone actually bestows the gift of gab on those who lay upside down and kiss its surface - which my dad did with his grandfather in 1972 on a trip they took together after my great-grandmother died. It’s also where he had his first Guinness.
Dad kissing the Blarney Stone circa 1972. I will say that my father does indeed possess the gift of gab. He has been known to convince a crowd to allow him to sing Irish drinking songs - solo, with an accent - to great applause on St. Patrick’s Day.
All four William Dorans - my dad holding me, grandpa on the right, and great-grandpa on the left.
Great grandpa during his trip to Europe with my dad in the 1970s.
Despite likely protest of our controversial modifications, this is a really good stew. It has a whole pint of Guinness in it. Who could be mad at that? It is built like many stews, starting with rendered animal fat (in this case: lamb and butter), layered with vegetables and aromatics (onion, garlic, carrots), finished with liquid (Guinness), and braised for a long time. It will also make your whole house smell delicious and is the perfect cure for a long day of parading (or the unfortunate afternoon hangover that may follow).
Vegetables and beer added
Potatoes, mushrooms, and a little water
… and a long time on the stove
Lagniappe / Things I Will Remember
People have been eating sheep for a long time and at one point there was a battle between sheep and cattle farming in the United States (guess who won). ·· The clearest, most traditional recipe I could find for Irish Stew came from New York Times Cooking, one of my favorite cooking resources, and it contains only four ingredients. ·· Meat-based stews are the ultimate comfort food and always worth making, whether Irish or not. ·· Never eat canned mutton, it is bad enough to shift the food-culture of an entire country. ·· The Blarney Stone bestows the gift of gab, something that might be worth a trip to Ireland ·· Kilts make everything better. ·· A little Irish stew can make for a happy boy with or without a parade.
Happy stew-making and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
—WD
