A Dublin Coddle is a sausage stew popular in Ireland, namely Dublin. Sausage, potatoes, and onions are the standard ingredients, and then you can get as fancy as you want past that. The traditional way to prepare the stew is to layer in sausage, potatoes, and onions, then boil it all slowly. For our recipe, we brown many of the ingredients first to add those layers of flavor, as well as a healthy splash of Guinness beer.
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Why I Love This Recipe?
I love learning about traditional foods This recipe checks both of my boxes to get on my favorite recipe list, it’s simple and delicious. The preparation has no fuss to it, just chopping, browning, and stewing. There are no fancy herbs or spices, but the result is memorable comfort food for the whole family, and it makes enough to share if you have guests. I love learning about traditional foods
Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients in This Dublin Coddle
- Sausage: The top ingredient in the mix and the type of sausage you use will drastically affect the flavor of your stew. In Saint Louis, MO, there are two types of sausage you can buy without going way out of the way, bratwurst and breakfast sausage. Any other type of pork sausage is very hard to find and just forget about Irish sausage. I opted for beer bratwurst because they are downright tasty with a very smooth taste. We brown them heavily in this recipe to get that savory flavor into the heart of the stew, and it’s worth it.
- Potatoes: It’s an Irish dish, so potatoes make an appearance to fulfill the stereotype. I used Yukon Gold potatoes, but anything but a sweet potato should work wonderfully. Peel them for a smoother texture, or leave the skins on to add fiber to the dish.
- Onions: Onions make any soup better, period, end of story. You have to caramelize them, preferably in the meat juices to get the max effect. They add a layer of sweetness once cooked.
- Garlic: Recently, I can’t really cook anything without adding garlic at some point. It enhances the soul of any cooked liquid, so in it went. Add it at the end of the onion browning to get the greatest effect.
- Carrots: Bringing up the rear is the carrot. In our house, meat and potatoes into a full meal without a vegetable, so in the carrots go. As they stew they soften and add sweetness to the dish as well.
- Liquids: I used Better Than Boullion Chicken broth for the liquid. I’ll use bone broth if I have it on hand, but the Better than Boullion is an amazing product and is hard to compete with.
- Seasonings: Keeping it simple, I used salt, black pepper, and dried thyme for the seasonings. It’s simple, Irish, and delicious. If you want to dress it up with diced fresh parsley in the end, it should add a nice freshness to the bites in the end.
Equipment Needed to Make a Dublin Coddle
- Dutch Oven: My Dutch Oven comes out for stews since the heavyweight pot gives a nice even heat, so I didn’t have to worry about scorching the bottom of the stew. I brown everything in the pot and it works so nicely, and the brown bits at the bottom add so much flavor.
- Cutting Boards: I used one big, plastic cutting board for the whole meal, making clean-up a breeze. Check out my article on cutting boards for more information.
- Chef’s Knife: A whole lot of chopping in this recipe; sausage, potatoes, onions, and carrots all get a chop. It’s easier and safer to have a sharp chef’s knife for this type of work, and I highly recommend getting one.
- Peeler: Pick your favorite type of peeler and go to town on the potatoes and carrots. Not entirely necessary, and next time Ill try it without peeling to save time. Great activity for bored children!
Time to Make the Dublin Coddle!
- This recipe works well since you can keep chopping as you brown the sausage. So first, heat your pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of butter and wait for it to simmer and spatter, right before it starts to brown. Add the sausages and don’t touch then.
- Cook the sausages for 5 minutes on each side. As they brown, chop the rest of the vegetables. Flip the sausages, there should be a nice browning to that first side. Repeat until browned nicely. They don’t need to be cooked through at this point.
- Remove the browned sausages to a plate and add the chopped onions to the pot. Add the beer and stir the onions to loosen the brown bits at the bottom of the pot, that’s where all the flavor is. The onions will turn brown with beer and flavor. Let them cook for 5-7 minutes and then add the broth or stock to slow the cooking while you add everything else. The type of stock isn’t essential, so chicken, beef, pork, bone broth, etc, whatever you’re feeling for the moment.
- Now, you can cut up the sausage or not. It’s a matter of huge debate in my house. I cut them into two inch sections and I thought it was great, but my family couldn’t figure out how to eat the giant pieces. So, either cut them up small or leave them whole.
- Into the stew add the sausage, potatoes, carrots, and thyme. Once everything is added, add chicken stock until it covers the meat and vegetables. Taste the liquid and season with salt and black pepper to taste. This will simmer slowly until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through, about an hour. Make sure there is an inch of liquid at the top of the ingredients at all time, and add plain water to replenish if necessary.
- Once it’s finished, ladle into bowls and serve with a crusty bread or Irish Soda Bread to soak up the liquids. Share with friends and neighbors or pack it up for leftovers.
The Best Dublin Coddle (Sausage & Potato Stew)
Traditional Irish Stew featuring sausage, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Amazing how this simple combination can deliver this much flavor.
Equipment
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board Bigger is better
- Dutch Oven 6 Quart or Bigger
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1½ lbs. Sausage About 4 Bratwurst
- 2 Yellow Onions Medium
- 1 16 oz Can Guinness
- 2 lbs. Potatoes Yukon Gold Preferred
- 1 lb Carrots Peeled
- 4 Cups Chicken Stock
- ½ tsp Dried Thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme
- Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the Dutch Oven over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is sizzling, add the sausages. Allow them to brown for 5 minutes on each side without disturbing them. Remove to a plate for later.2 tbsp Butter, 1½ lbs. Sausage
- While the sausages brown, dice the onions. When the sausage is finished, add the onions and beer and stir to loosen up the brown bits from the bottom. Stir until most of the brown has been removed. Cook the onions until soft, about 5 minutes.2 Yellow Onions, 1 16 oz Can Guinness
- While the onions cook, peel and cut the carrots and potatoes. Once the onions are softened, add the chicken stock, potatoes, carrots, and thyme. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sausage back in.2 lbs. Potatoes, 1 lb Carrots, 4 Cups Chicken Stock, ½ tsp Dried Thyme, Salt and Black Pepper
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 60 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are soft. Serve hot and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Best Way to Store Leftover Dublin Coddle?
Since this makes a great big pot of stew, you’ll probably have plenty of leftovers. Those leftovers should be stored in an airtight container for up to seven days in the refridgerator with no issues. The fat will rise to the top and solidify, but it will melt back out upon reheating. To reheat, I usually toss it back in the pot and heat the whole thing on the stove.
Can I Freeze Leftover Dublin Coddle?
You can freeze this stew as leftovers in an airtight container, but the texture of the potatoes will suffer. Root vegetables do not fare well in the freezer. The fat of the sausage will also migrate and freeze at the top of the stew, so make sure to thaw and heat before serving into individual servings.
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