An Irish Coddle With a Spanish Accent

If you like a New England Boiled Dinner you will like an Irish Coddle. The traditional dish features sausages and bacon layered with potatoes and onions that have been seasoned with salt, pepper and parsley or chives.

After the addition of some broth the whole thing is cooked in a slow oven for several hours. The result is a stew that features the simple flavors of the ingredients.

When I was looking for an Irish recipe to make for St Patrick’s Day I found this on Genius Kitchen. It reminded me of my mother’s Springtime boiled ham with potatoes and cabbage…kind of plain, but still pretty tasty.

It also reminded me of several stews I’ve had here in Spain which are very humble, but seasoned with garlic, bay leaves and parsley. Since I already had a pack of butifarra (a Catalan style sausage) in the freezer, I decided to go ahead and season my Irish Coddle the Spanish way.

Let your pantry guide your decisions

In addition to the non traditional seasoning I added some carrots because why not? Another recipe I came across also added cabbage. Let whatever you have on hand influence your choices.

If you’re short on sausage and bacon, add more veggies and vice versa. It’s hard to go wrong with a recipe like this. As long as you like the ingredients in your Coddle, you’ll probably like the result.

In our case, the result is something a little more flavorful than the recipe that served as my inspiration. It still goes well with a beer, even a Guinness if you like that. Don’t forget to serve with a hearty bread for sopping up all the juices.

As much as we’ve enjoyed the Irish Coddle, I was just as excited about turning the leftovers into a bit of hash for breakfast the next day.

An Irish Coddle With a Spanish Accent

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Course: Main

Cuisine: Great Britain, Ireland, Spain

Servings: 6 servings

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 12 ounces or so sausage, cut into smaller pieces if needed (About 2 ounces/57 grams per person)
• 12 ounces or so bacon, cut into one inch pieces (About 2 ounces/57 grams per person)
• 1 – 2 potatoes per person depending on the size, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 3 – 4 carrots per person depending on the size, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 – 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into thick rings or wedges
• 1 head of garlic, broken into cloves and peeled
• 3 – 4 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoon seasoning blend (I used dried parsley, thyme and rosemary)
• 2 cups vegetable, ham or chicken stock (I used a bouillon cube)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Move the oven rack to accommodate your Dutch oven or roasting pan.
• Cook the bacon in a medium skillet for a couple minutes until it takes on some color and the pieces separate. Remove to a plate. Reserve the drippings to cook the sausage.
• Brown the sausage on all sides and remove to a plate.
• Assemble the veggies.
• Add about half the veggies to the roasting pan, season as desired, then top with the meats and remaining vegetables. Season the top layer, too.
• Tuck the bay leaves and peeled garlic cloves into the mix.
• Pour over most of the broth. Cover the roasting pan with a lid or foil.
• Place in a hot oven and reduce the heat to 300°F/150°C.
• Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After that time, check the amount of liquid left, adding more if necessary. The veggies should be cooked through, but not falling apart.
• Return to the oven for another hour or so. The potatoes and carrots should be easy to cut with a fork by this point.
• Thicken the juices if desired to make them more gravy like.
• Serve your Irish Coddle with plenty of crusty bread.

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You can cook this at a higher temperature if desired, just make sure the liquid doesn’t cook away. The dish is ready when the veggies are tender.

Variations:

• Slow cooker: Assemble as directed and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
• Vegan: Omit the sausages and bacon or substitute your favorite alternatives. Whatever you choose should be able to hold up to the long cooking time.
• Whole30: Use compliant sausage, bacon and broth
• Stove top: Reduce the recipe by half and assemble as directed. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat so it’s barely simmering and put the lid on. Check frequently and add more broth as needed.

This post was originally published in 2018. Enjoy!