Ballymaloe Irish Stew Recipe for Two or Four Servings

Ballymaloe House

Ballymaloe Irish Stew takes its name from the Ballymaloe Country House Hotel in County Cork, Ireland. The Allen family has run the inn, restaurant, and cooking school with a focus on local, seasonal ingredients since 1964. Their guiding principle—use what you have, buy locally, and let the ingredients shine—drives this recipe.

Ballymaloe Irish Stew: Simple Goodness

Many modern Irish stew recipes include long ingredient lists—tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire, Guinness, wine, bay leaves, celery—making them rich and complex. Those versions are delicious, but this Ballymaloe-style stew celebrates simplicity. A handful of quality ingredients cooked slowly yields a stew that tastes sweet, herbaceous, and comforting.

Carrots, onions, potatoes, and a bit of seasoning, combined with slow cooking, create deep flavor without masking the lamb. This is a perfect cold-weather dish: mostly hands-off, yet full of layered, satisfying taste.

What Makes This Irish Stew So Delicious?

With a short ingredient list, the final result depends on ingredient quality and gentle technique. Use fresh produce, good stock, and let the pot do the work.

The Ingredients You Need:

• Bone-in lamb loin chops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Baby carrots (or larger carrots cut into chunks)
• Pearl or cippolini onions (or one large white onion, cut into chunks)
• Chicken stock (homemade preferred)
• Fresh thyme sprigs
• Medium white potatoes
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Irish butter (salted for best flavor)

Rendering lamb fat and using it to brown the chops and cook the vegetables intensifies the lamb flavor. The stew’s profile is lamb-forward, herbal, and gently sweet from the caramelized carrots and onions and the long simmer.

More Irish-Inspired Recipes

This stew is substantial enough to be the centerpiece of your St. Patrick’s Day meal. For dessert, consider a chocolate mint treat or, if you have extra time, a chocolate stout cake with burnt caramel buttercream. If you prefer beef, a Guinness beef stew is another excellent option.

Ballymaloe Irish Stew Recipe

Equipment

• Two-cup or one-cup oven-safe bowls or crocks
• Heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
• Baking tray for oven use

Ingredients

• 1 pound bone-in lamb loin chops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 oz baby carrots, peeled (or larger carrots cut into chunks)
• 8 oz pearl or cippolini onions, peeled (or 1 large white onion in chunks)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2–4 medium white potatoes (about one per serving)
• Sprigs of fresh parsley and thyme for garnish
• Irish butter, for finishing

Instructions

• Trim excess fat from the loin chops and set the meat aside.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, render the lamb fat over medium-low heat. Discard any cracklings. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat and increase the heat to medium-high.
• Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Brown the chops well in the reserved lamb fat, then remove them from the pan.
• Add the reserved lamb fat back to the pan and cook the onions and carrots with a little salt and pepper until they are caramelized in spots and softened, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in the chicken stock and add the thyme sprigs.
• Peel the potatoes and nestle them into the liquid.
• Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Turn the potatoes carefully after 30 minutes.
• Remove the potatoes from the liquid and set aside to cool.
• Continue to simmer the lamb and vegetables for another hour.
• Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove the bones from the chops, discard them, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the meat to the pot.
• Cool the stew and the potatoes, then refrigerate overnight or up to three days—this step improves flavor and makes assembly easier.
• When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Divide the stew evenly between two two-cup oven-safe bowls (or four one-cup bowls).
• Slice the cooled potatoes into thick discs and arrange them over the stew, covering it as fully as possible. Two layers of potatoes are fine.
• Top each serving with a sprig or two of parsley and thyme, a couple of thin pats of Irish butter, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
• Cover each bowl with parchment and then foil. Place the bowls on a tray to catch any spills and bake for 1 hour.
• Remove the parchment and foil, then broil until the potatoes brown in spots, about 3–5 minutes.
• Allow the stew to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day, and enjoy the stew!

Thanks for spending time here. Take care and have a lovely day.

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