Dublin Coddle (Irish Sausage and Potato Stew)

Dublin Coddle ? Welcome Home

As the story goes, this adorably named dish would be prepared early in the evening by one spouse, and left to slowly simmer on the stove, or "coddle," while the other spouse was enjoying a pint or three at the pub. After the barkeep would say something like, "You don?t have to go home, but you can?t stay here," they would head back to enjoy a big bowl of Dublin Coddle.

And yes, that was the modern, neutral gender role version, and I suspect that 99.7% of the time the wife would've been the maker, and the husband would've been the drinker/late-night eater. Nevertheless, it sounds like quite a system, and maybe a tradition we could develop here in America. I mean, coming home to microwaved Hot Pockets just isn't the same thing. Whether that happens or not, and spoiler alert, it will not, this is one of the most amazing stews in existence, no matter when it's enjoyed.

The secret here is a very long, slow cook, which can be done on the stovetop, as described above, or in the oven, which is how I prefer to do it. By the way, apparently there's the "white" version, where everything is just dumped into a pot of water and simmered to perfection, or the "brown" version, where some or all of the meat is browned first. While not as traditional, I believe the second method looks and tastes better, so that's what I went with. This is a truly great bowl of food, and whether you enjoy it after a few stouts or not, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!