As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, I always turn to hearty meat and potato dishes with a nice Irish flair, and this classic with a twist makes a perfect family meal. The origin of the name “coddle” is rather cloudy, but apparently it was a favorite of authors from Jonathan Swift to James Joyce. Loaded with smoky bacon, meaty sausages, rich potatoes and sweet carrots and little woody note from parsnips, this version of Dublin coddle is rich with oh-so-Irish Guinness.
I turn to a local butcher shop for freshly made, well-seasoned pork sausages and sometimes around St. Paddy’s, they have Irish bangers, which are of course perfect. If you can’t track down a specialty sausage, basic bratwurst work really well. The coddle is a cross between a braise and a stew, with a nice amount of flavorful broth in the pot. You can serve the coddle with a slotted spoon, but I like to serve it in bowls with the broth and some nice bread to soak up the dark, meaty juices. Try this Simple Soda Bread to keep the Irish theme going.
- 8 strips of thick cut bacon
- 6 high-quality pork sausages
- 2 medium onions
- 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 2 parsnips
- 7 sprigs of thyme
- 1 ¾ cups stout beer, such as Guinness
- 1 cup beef broth
- Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook over medium-high heat in a large (5-quart) Dutch oven with a tight- fitting lid until the bacon is crispy and brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Lower the heat to medium and place the sausages in the bacon grease and cook, turning occasionally, until they are browned all over, 10 – 15 minutes.
- While the sausages are cooking, cut the onions into halves, and then into to very thin half-moon shaped slices. When the sausages are browned all over, remove them to the paper towel lined plate, scooting the bacon out of the way. Add the onions to the bacon grease and stir to coat well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and browned and reduced in volume by about half, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully so the onions do not scorch. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the onions to a bowl. Take the pot off the heat and let it cool a little, then discard the remaining bacon grease and wipe out the pot.
- Peel the potatoes, carrots and parsnips. Cut the potatoes in half, then in 1-inch chunks. Cut the carrots and parsnips on the diagonal into ½ inch pieces.
- Cut the sausages into 2-inch pieces, then begin layering the coddle. In the pot, place a layer of sausage pieces, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and bacon. Spread 1/3 of the onions over the layer and then place a couple of sprigs of thyme on top. Repeat with two more layers, ending with onions and thyme. You can cover the pot and refrigerate for a few hours at this point if you would like.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pour the Guinness and the beef broth over around the coddle and cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about an hour and a half.
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