Porks sausages + bacon + beer + vegetables – my version of the Irish coddle is one of Rick’s favourite dishes. I am married to a man of Irish descent and what I have learned from our family visits to Ireland – and my husband is that the Irish love beer (Guinness only when in the Emerald Isle) + whiskey + eating potatoes + pork sausages + salmon + they only start a party at 9pm and even if you are around the ripe age of 75 there is still nothing wrong with partying till 4am and passing out on the couch at you friends house if you had too much to drink!! I just love the Irish, it is their spirit, their joviality and perhaps the fact that they are never shy to drink more than me.

For this recipe I have added a few herbs, mustard seeds and some beer and then also added some lemon. I think it’s a bit of modern Coddle and it’s hearty and just perfect in the dead of winter. It is so easy to prepare …everything is in one bowl, meat, veggies etc. So between my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law I think we have come up with a rather decent local version of the Irish coddle! Sleinte!

Serves 4 or 6
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 1h

Ingredients

6 Pork sausages
4 Garlic cloves finely chopped
125g Bacon finely chopped
4T Olive oil
2 Onions – sliced
2 Celery sticks – chopped finely
2 Large carrots – chopped
2 t Mustard seeds – if you dint have just add 2t mustard
30 g Flour
3 Large potatoes – peeled and cut in quarters
50g Tomato paste
1t Lemon juice
1t Balsamic vinegar
2.5 Cups of stock – I used beef stock
1/2 cup of beer (I used a lager – no Guinness on hand I’m afraid)
2T Chopped parsley
1T Fresh sage (optional)
1t Black pepper corns

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Fry the sausages in an oven proof dish with 2T olive oil. Just brown them and then remove from dish. Now fry the fry the bacon and take out.
3. Add the other 2 T oil and fry the onions till golden brown.
4. Add carrots and the celery and garlic sweat veggies till translucent.
5. Add 30 g flour, let it fry for a minute or two.
6. Now add all the other ingredients.
7. Put the lid on and bake for 1hour.
8. Serve with fresh bread.