Dublin coddle

Coddle is a traditional Irish dish usually associated with Dublin . It is comfort food of the highest degree; a hearty nutritious stew-like dish made from salty bacon, pork sausages and potatoes.There are as many recipes for Dublin Coddle as there are bars in the city of Dublin. Here's one we think works nicely.

Serves :  4  ›  Preparation:  10 mins  ›  Cook:  90mins
​Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 150g piece salty back bacon, weight after the rind removed
• 8 fat traditional pork sausages
• 3 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
• 500g white potatoes, finely sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups/500 ml rich beef or chicken stock

Heat the oven to 425°F/220 °C

• In a large frying pan or skillet, heat the oil, add the onions and cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes. Cut the bacon piece into ½"/1 cm cubes. Add the bacon to the onions and stir well. Cut the sausages in three pieces and add these to the onion and bacon.
• Raise the heat and constantly stirring, cook until the sausages start to brown taking care not to burn the onions.
• In a heat proof casserole, place a layer of the onion, bacon and sausage mixture followed by the layer of sliced carrots and then a layer of potato. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat the layering until used up, finishing with a layer of potato.
• Carefully pour over the stock. Cover with a lid or a double layer of aluminium foil. Place in the centre of the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Take a peek to make sure the coddle isn't drying out (if necessary top up with a little boiling water but don't flood the stew). Lower the heat to 350°F/175°C/gas 4 and cook for a further 30 minutes until bubbling and the potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
• Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• The Coddle needs little else once cooked, simply serve with hefty slices of crusty bread to soak up all the lovely juices in the dish, as is the Irish way.