| 1 | Peel the onions and slice them into rounds. |
| 2 | Peel the potatoes as thinly as possible. |
| 3 | Leave them whole unless they are very large. |
| 4 | Cut the meat into good-sized pieces. |
| 5 | Small chops can be left whole, larger ones divided in two. |
| 6 | Place a layer of onions on the bottom of a heavy casserole, and the meat on top of them. |
| 7 | Sprinkle chopped thyme and parsley generously, and season well. |
| 8 | Layer the rest of the onions with the potatoes. |
| 9 | Sprinkle thyme and parsley again at the last. |
| 10 | The amount of water you need to add depends on how good the seal is between your pot and its lid, and whether you like a "wet" or "dry" stew. |
| 11 | You will certainly not need more than two cups, and i use barely one. |
| 12 | Bring the water to a boil, cover as tightly as possible, and place in a preheated oven at 300f for 2 ?- 3 hours. |
| 13 | Keep an eye on it towards the end, and adjust the gravy by adding a little water if you think it too dry. |
| 14 | A good stew should have some gravy, but should not be flooded by it. |
| 15 | "floury" potatoes will dissolve into the gravy, "waxy" ones will not. |
| 16 | I tend to use a mixture. |
| 17 | Serve very hot with more fresh chopped parsley sprinkled on top. |
| 18 | White soda bread to mop up the gravy. |
| 19 | "there are more arguments about what makes a real irish stew than about any other recipe in the repertoire. |
| 20 | Some people claim that if you put carrots in it, it"s not an irish stew any more. |
| 21 | Others say, leave the carrots in, but no parsnips! -- and the arguments go on." -- per diane duane co. |
| 22 | Wicklow, ireland fidonet cooking ech |
