Irish Lamb and Potato Stew

Ingredients

• 2 - 2½ pounds lamb stew meat (cut into approximately 1½ - inch pieces (boneless shoulder or leg meat))
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (or other neutral tasting oil)
• kosher salt and black pepper (to taste)
• 2 yellow onions (halved and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices)
• 4 cups beef broth (or chicken broth)
• 1 can/bottle dark Irish beer (such as Guinness (approximately 2 cups, give or take))
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)
• 4 carrots (peeled and cut into 1” pieces diagonally)
• 1 pound potatoes (cut into 1“ pieces. I used gold potatoes, see notes.)
• 1 pound sweet potatoes (peeled, halved, and cut into 1“ pieces)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional, plus more for garnish)

Instructions

1. Trim the lamb pieces of any large pieces of fat. Season the lamb liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil (2 tablespoons) in a large, heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven) and brown lamb for 2-3 minutes on each side, until it develops nice color. Make sure the pieces aren’t touching each other - you will likely need to do this in 2-3 batches. Remove lamb to a plate or shallow bowl.
3. After all the lamb has browned, add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pot (there should be enough oil/fat in the pot still, but if there isn’t, just add a little more). Cook on medium heat until the onions have softened and browned, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot as you cook. If browned bits are not easily removed, add a little bit of the beef broth to the pot to help deglaze it.
4. Add the beef broth (4 cups), and dark beer (1 can/ ~2 cups) to the pot. Add the lamb and any juices back into the pot, along with the dried thyme (1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 90 minutes, or until lamb is starting to easily break apart when prodded with a wooden spoon (this may take more or less time depending on the size of the pieces or how tough the meat is to begin with).
5. Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot and stir together. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
6. Optional: To thicken the stew, remove about 1 - 1½ cups worth of the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots to a blender. Ladle a cup or two of the broth into the blender. Blend until smooth, then stir back into the pot.
7. Season the stew to taste. This stew needs a lot of salt and pepper, so if it seems to be lacking in something, it’s likely lacking in salt (see notes). Stir in the fresh parsley (2 tablespoons), if using. Serve, garnishing each bowl with more parsley, if desired.