St. Patrick’s Day Dinner – Dublin Coddle

“What in the world is Dublin Coddle?” you may well be asking.  It’s Irish comfort food at it’s best and is the perfect alternative to corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day dinner.Dublin Coddle is really nothing more than a very hearty stew made of bacon, sausages, onions and potatoes….what could possibly be wrong with that!  It is simple comfort food, slow cooked and easy to prepare.   Just add salad and Irish Soda bread and you’ve got a dinner Saint Paddy himself would be sure to enjoy!

Grab some green napkins and a few shamrocks for your table and you’ll have love, joy, abundant living and the luck of the Irish with you at your St. Patricks Day celebration 🙂

Dublin Coddle
Simply put it together and pop it in the oven to cook on a low temp and leave it.  It will be done in as little as 3 hours but can easily be left to continue cooking for up to 5 hours.  This is the perfect meal to make on a day when you are busy and don’t have time to fuss or watch over  your dinner.

1 lb. good thick cut bacon, preferably uncured
8 good quality sausages, these can be pork or chicken or a combination
4 onions roughly sliced
8 potatoes, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
a handful of thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 cups ham or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Brown bacon and set aside.  Brown sausages in the same pan and set them aside.  Brown onion in the fat from bacon and sausages.  Cut sausages in large pieces.  Combine sausage, bacon and onions in a baking dish lightly sprinkling them with salt and pepper and sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.  Top with potatoes.  Pour broth over everything, add a few more springs of thyme and a little salt and pepper on potatoes and cover well with a lid or foil.  If using foil to cover, place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent any spillage in your oven as the coddle will bubble up as it cooks.  Place in a 300 degree oven for at least 3 hours or up to 5 hours.  Always be sure to serve this with soda bread to help soak up the yummy dippings!