Serves: 4 to 6 | Prep: 25 Minutes | Cook: 2 to 4 hours on low, or 4 to 6 hours on high. | Cost: Less than $40

When I start to feel any hint of cold air, I immediately want to burrow down in my house and wait until winter is over. I sure I’m not the only one who does this. When we can’t get to beach, we resort to the comforts of our own hone. But we all need a companion, and what could be better than a crock-pot, freezer-friendly, Irish stew? The fresh meat mixed in with the potato and carrots is the perfect meal to eat in front of the fire. Something so keen to the Irish folk can be easily made in your own kitchen. This recipe calls for very few ingredients, but you can make it a coddle and add any ingredients you have around your house: it will add more flavor. The soup tasted just like I would imagine an Irish stew to taste. I enjoyed the strong flavor from tehmeat This recipe tastes just as good warmed up so it’s the perfect dish for leftovers. I brought mine to work for lunch and the entire office smelled so nice. Needless to say, my coworkers love me, and I had to bring everyone soup the next day.

Even though you will eventually throw everything inside your crock pot, you still have to take the time to cook the meat and cut the vegetables. When you’re cutting the vegetables, the size depends on your personal preference. I like smaller cuts; however, you can make them as little, or as big, as you want. I decided to cut the potatoes and carrots in small pieces, so I can fit more in a single bite.

Genius? I know.

Also, there is no shame in buying the ingredients pre-cut, you might lose some freshness, but will save yourself a lot of time. Not going to lie, I brought the onions pre-cut because I hate crying. I’m typically not a fan of carrots, having them sit in a crock pot for so long actually made it my favorite part of the dish. I used red potatoes for this recipe, however I can see golden potatoes working just as well. I also couldn’t decide if I wanted to skin the potatoes or not, so I did half-and-half. You have so much freedom in this recipe!

I decided to go with a lamb meat in this recipe because I thought it would bring a lot of flavor into the dish. Plus, it is a meat I’m not super familiar with, but the Irish love it. I realized though, that lamb meat is very expensive for a college student. I made friends with the meat cutter and he gave me some extra for free.

“Here, I’ll give you some more,” he said, “Just in case you mess up.”

In which I responded, “I know we just met, but you know me so well. I will mess up.”

I ended up paying $15 a pound. (Gee-wiz! Calm down, taste buds, we won’t be having more until my next paycheck.) But thanks to my new best friend, who shall remain nameless for the sake of his job, I got half a pound for free. So, if your wallet forces you to opt out of the lamb, I suggest some other type of red meat to fulfill the recipe.

When I started cooking the lamb, I realized I had no idea what I was doing. So, a quick Google search helped me in all my troubles. There’s no need to be frightened by this kind of meat, treat it like you would beef or pork. I cooked mine medium-rare because anything past that might become too dry in the crock pot.

This recipe makes about 4 to 6 servings, so I decided to freeze half of the soup for another day. To freeze the soup, I bought half-gallon sized freezer bags and filled them about a quarter of the way and put in the freezer. They last up to a month, however, the sooner you use them, the better. To reheat, all you need to do is dump the frozen mixture in a pot and let it completely thaw out over a medium heat. Overall, the recipe is easy enough to follow and when I was done I asked myself, “That’s it?” It can be prepared in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds of lamb or some kind of red meat.
• 2 cups of chopped red potatoes (peeled or skinned)
• 1 cup of chopped onions
• 2 cups of chopped carrots
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 ½ cups of chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (or any cooking oil)

Instructions:

1. Acquire all the ingredients. This may seem like a rhetorical first step, however, if you are anything like me, you will forget something and either, 1) have to run back to the store, slowing down the process, or 2) ask your neighbor who will silently judge you for making a stew at 11 p.m. Neither of which are desirable.
2. Chop the potatoes, onions, and carrots. I found that about 4 medium sized red potatoes fit to about 2 cups; however, the more the merrier. For the carrots, I used about half a bag of baby carrots. One medium sized onion should be enough to fill one cup. Place in crock pot.
3. Heat a skillet with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil (or an oil of your choosing), and cook the lamb on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until done. Once it is cooked all the way through (when there is only a slight tint of red), let it cool and then cut it around the same size as your other ingredients. Place on top of the vegetables, do not mix them yet.
4. In the same skillet, add the chicken stock and salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil for 5 minutes. If you want a deeper brown color, you can add some brown gravy mix. Pour the mixture into the crock pot.
5. Allow to cook on low for six to eight hours, or on high for two to four.
6. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, combine the water and flour into a separate bowl and mix until smooth. Add to the soup and stir everything together. This is also when you should add the extra ingredients of your choosing.
7. Serve warm and garnish with fresh parsley. Freeze what you don’t use immediately.

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