In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day, Heart Lamb Irish Stew

Here is a quick recipe to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Sure you can sub the Lamb with Beef, but what fun would that be?
- Richard

Irish Stew
1/2 pound thickly sliced bacon, diced
6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups canned beef stock
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced
3 pounds potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme, whole
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup River Valley White wine
Chopped parsley

Using a large pan cook the bacon until crisp. Reserve the fat and the bacon.

In a large bowl place the lamb, salt, pepper, and flour. Toss to coat evenly. Reheat the frying pan. In batches, cook the lamb until evenly browned. Transfer the browned meat to a 10-quart stock pot (being sure to keep some of the bacon fat in the sauté pan.

Add the garlic and yellow onion to the pan and saute until the onion begins to caramelize. Deglaze the frying pan with 1/2 cup of water and add the garlic-onion mixture to the casserole, along with the reserved bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, or until tender.

Add the carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and wine to the pot and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Season to taste and garnish.