Irish Lamb Stew

Ingredients:

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, peeled and finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups homemade beef stock or use canned
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 dry white wine
chopped parsley

Procedure:

Using a large frying pan, sauté the bacon. Reserve the fat and the bacon. In a large mixing bowl place the lamb, salt, pepper, and flour. Toss to coat the meat evenly. Reheat the frying pan. In batches, toss the meat in the flour to coat evenly, then brown in the reserved bacon fat. If you run out of fat, use a little oil. Transfer the browned meat to a 10-quart stove top casserole, leaving about 1/4 cup of fat in the frying pan. Add the garlic and yellow onion to the pan and sauté until the onion begins to color a bit. 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 remaining ingredients to the pot and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Check for salt and pepper before serving. Top with the parsley garnish before serving. Makes 12 servings.