... it is because they are eating this stew. I tested it to serve at our March office luncheon, and I'm thinking "success". The lamb is sweet, tender, and not gamey at all. The sauce is rich and oniony, and well it should be with four different sources of onion flavor. My house smells divine, and yours will too when you prepare it.
The proposed menu also includes green goddess dressing for a salad (made with all fresh herbs and Hellman's Real Mayonnaise, the only commercial mayonnaise worth eating), Irish soda bread with caraway and raisins, corned beef with a marmalade-whiskey glaze, miniature shepherd's pies (gotta have an appetizer), and some other stuff. I'll keep you advised.
Lamb Chop Dry Rub:
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon celery seed
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon dried Valencia orange peel
1 teaspoon dried California lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all of the ingredients and store in a container with a lid.
Irish Lamb Stew
Gather your ingredients:
2 tablespoons of the Lamb Chop Dry Rub
2 pounds of boneless lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 or more cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 envelope Lipton Golden Onion soup mix (it's gotta be golden)
1 can Campbell's condensed French Onion Soup
1 soup can of water, or more if needed to almost cover the stew
1 1/2 pound tiny new potatoes (use yellow or gold)
1 pound baby carrots
1/2 of a 1 pound bag frozen pearl onions
1/2 of a 1 pound bag frozen baby peas
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
The night before - place the lamb into a zip top bag and add the dry rub. Close the bag, shake it so that all of the lamb is dusted with some of the spice, then place in the fridge till ready to cook.
Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add the onion. Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Stir and cook until soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook until the onion carmelizes a little bit. Set aside.
Melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, and add the lamb to brown it on all sides. Stir in the soup mix, the condensed soup, the water, potatoes, carrots, 1/4 cup of parsley, and the sauteed onions and garlic from the skillet. Stir together, cover the Dutch oven and simmer the stew for two hours, stirring occasionally.
Place the pearl onions and peas in a colander and run hot water over them for a minute to speed defrosting. Ten minutes before the stew is done, add the pearl onions and peas, stir, cover, and simmer till done. Add the remaining parsley.
With a slotted spoon, remove the stew to a serving dish or casserole. Place the pan with the sauce back on the heat, and reduce just a bit until the taste is rich but not salty. Spoon the sauce over the stew and serve right away.
Looking at this list of ingredients, I'm going to guess you don't need to serve anything else but some bread and maybe a green salad. Oh, and some beer.
