Having grown up in England, I love Irish and British food. I make a big todo every March in honor of St. Patty’s day. My husband and I hiked across northern England last year on the Wainswright Route. We enjoyed so much good British food ~ bangers and mash, steak and ale pie, fish and chips. After hiking 15 miles each day, these hearty meals fueled our next day’s hike. Granted, we did have some nice changes of pace with Indian in Kirkby Stephen and Moroccan at a small pub in Muker.

I’ve also traveled all over Ireland. I’ve been there four times and have explored every part of the island, including Northern Ireland, except for the very northwestern part of the country. That is still on my bucket list to return and finish seeing the country! I love Ireland and the UK. They will always have a special place in my heart and if anyone can tell me how to retire there, I’m all ears!

When the weather turns cool, or even cold as it has been here in Jersey for the past week, I know most of us turn to comfort foods! Like Wednesday’s split pea soup recipe ~ the ultimate comfort food! I know those of you all who are following me on Instagram have commented emphatic agreement! Today’s recipe for Irish lamb stew, to me, is the quintessential comfort food and embodies all of the qualities from a home cooked meal you want on a cold, dark evening ~ savory, rich, and warm.

This stew is loaded with carrots, celery, and potatoes. I opted for fingerling potatoes for several reasons. They reduce the prep work! I just cut any large potatoes in half. And, they fingerling potatoes I buy are a blend of different colors: yellow, red, and purple, which adds a nice flavor profile.

After I had everything in the pot and simmering, I realized that the sauce was not nearly as thick as I wanted. I am not a big advocate of cornstarch. Honestly, I really only use it in my cookies to prevent them from spreading. I just find that cornstarch has a very noticeable taste to it and I hate tarnishing my savory sauces with that flavor profile. So, I’ve discovered this awesome work around ~ creating a roux without a pot or pan!

Trust me, I know it sounds bonkers, but when I tried it, it has become a life changer when I have a sauce that just isn’t thick enough. So, the trick is to quickly microwave a couple of tablespoons of butter in a small glass. It’s okay if some of it melts but you’re trying to aim more for a “room temperature” feel. Then I add flour to thoroughly smash it together with a fork until the flour is fully saturated. Most people do a ratio of 1 to 1 of butter and flour when making a roux. I aim for about 1 to 2. So, 2 tablespoons butter to ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of flour.

Now, I’ve made the mistake of just dumping this right in a pot of sauce before and found chunks of roux at the bottom of the dish 😝. What I’ve learned is to add some of the sauce into the glass and mix until thoroughly combined. I repeat this several times until the sauce has made the roux liquidy enough to easily combine into the sauce. After a few minutes, the sauce starts to thicken. If it’s still not thick enough, repeat until it reaches your desired consistency. This is an awesome cooking trick, so store it away in your cooking tricks to wow friends and family with your random cooking hack tricks 😉.

After about an hour, the potatoes and lamb are perfectly tender. Easy peasy! Dinner is served! This is a stick to your ribs dinner that’ll leave your belly feeling sooo happy.

Enjoy! And let me know what you all think!