No. 1758

Stewed Lamb, Irish Style

Ragout d'Agneau a l'Irlandaise

Cut some lamb tendrons into squares; shorten the rib bones of a rack, cutting it about level with the large fillet, suppress the skin and chine bone, and with the parings of both these meats, prepare a mutton broth. Plunge the tendrons into boiling water placed in a saucepan, put it on the fire, skim, then drain and pare the pieces and return them to the same saucepan with two small onions, one garnished bouquet, two finely shredded raw potatoes and proper seasoning; moisten to the height of the meat with the prepared broth, strained and free of fat. Cook the stew over a moderate fire in such a way that when the lamb is nearly done, the liquid is found reduced to half and slightly thickened, and the potatoes well dissolved, pass the sauce through a tammy; now add to it a garnishing of raw potatoes pared like olives and about the size of a walnut; and small blanched onions, also the meat; season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, both the meat and potatoes and onions should be done at the same time. Dress the lamb in a deep dish with the potatoes and onions around and strain the sauce over.

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For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer's version of Irish stew is really two stews in one: shredded potato cooked to nothing to build the sauce, then a second batch of turned potatoes and onions added whole so they arrive intact. The order matters more than any timing given here.

TendronsThe tendrons are the cartilaginous rib tips from the breast of lamb, cut into squares. Ask a butcher for lamb breast or riblets; Ranhofer gives no quantities, but about 1 1/2 lb of breast plus a trimmed rack is a workable amount.
Chine bone and skin"Suppress the skin and chine bone" means strip the papery membrane from the outside of the rack and saw off the backbone section so the ribs can be cut apart. The trimmings, not the meat, go into the broth.
Mutton brothMutton is scarce; a lamb stock from the bones and parings, or a light unsalted lamb or chicken stock, does the same work. Skim and defat it before it goes near the stew, since the sauce is reduced by half and any fat concentrates with it.
Garnished bouquetA bouquet garni: parsley stems, thyme and a bay leaf tied with a leek green or celery rib. Tie it so it can be lifted out before the sauce is strained.
The blanching stepPlunging the tendrons into boiling water, skimming, then draining and paring is not a shortcut to be skipped. It sets the surface and removes scum so the finished sauce stays pale and clean rather than grey.
Two potatoes, two jobsThe first two potatoes are shredded raw and cooked until they dissolve; they are the only thickener in the dish. The second lot is turned to walnut-sized ovals and added after the sauce is strained, so they hold their shape.
TammyA tammy was a worsted cloth used to force sauces through. A fine chinois, or a fine sieve pressed with a ladle, gives the same result. Push the potato solids through rather than letting them stay behind in the strainer.
Heat and timing"Moderate fire" here means a bare simmer, not a boil; hard boiling breaks up the tendrons and clouds the sauce. Ranhofer gives no times; reckon roughly 1 1/4 hours for the meat, with the turned potatoes and blanched onions going in for the last 20 to 25 minutes so everything finishes together.

A Little History

Irish stew reached the great French kitchens as a l'irlandaise, a name loosely attached to mutton or lamb stews thickened by potato rather than flour, and Ranhofer's Epicurean (1894), written out of his years at Delmonico's in New York, treats it as one entry in a long catalogue of lamb ragouts. What is striking is how thoroughly the French kitchen reworked a cottage dish: the cottage version put mutton, potatoes and onions in one pot and let the potatoes thicken the liquor by accident, while here the thickening is deliberate and the sauce is strained smooth before a second, ornamental set of turned potatoes and blanched onions is cooked in it. Mutton was still the expected meat in Ireland and Britain at this date, lamb being the more expensive and more fashionable choice.