Dublin Coddle - Irish stew

Published: January 17, 2020 • Modified: May 27, 2022 • by Author: Analida • Word count:1337 words. • About 7 minutes to read this article. • This post may contain affiliate links.

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Dublin Coddle? Aah, a most delicious hearty Irish dish of sausages and vegetables that will warm your heart and your stomach all at once. A funny name? Yes, maybe. But before I go into the particulars about this post, I will share a funny Dublin story with you.

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What is coddling?
Traveling in Ireland
Step by step photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Dublin Coddle - Irish Stew Recipe

You might be wondering about the colorful doors surrounding the dish.

What are they all about? The story goes something like this... At one point in time all the doors in this neighborhood were painted the same color. One evening after returning home from a "night out with friends" a prominent Dublin city official "accidentally" entered the wrong house and crawled in bed with a woman he thought to be his wife. Well, the next morning, he had the surprise of his life. Going forward he ordered the front doors of the neighborhood to be painted different colors.

What is coddling?

Coddling is a culinary term associated mostly with eggs cooked in a small container. I actually own one of these little porcelain containers myself. The container is then placed in a double boiler. It's a slow and gentle way of cooking.

Although Dublin Coddle does not call for eggs, it is cooked in a slow gentle way that produces fabulous herbal aromas and flavors. A Dublin Coddle, like most Irish food consists of simple ingredients: good quality sausages, potatoes, vegetable broth, onions and herbs. For the sausages I prefer to use bangers (a typical British sausage), no worries if you can't find them in your local market. You can certainly use a good quality pork sausage. Someday I hope to make my own sausages for this delicious dish.

Traveling in Ireland

Europeans take in the quality of their food and its provenance. One of the hotels where we stayed had a small booklet that indicated who all their suppliers were. They were all local farmers and companies. This made me happy.

Touring the Irish countryside last summer a prominent sight was sheep and cows happily grazing in lush green fields. Yes, they were eating grass! The small groups of animals were separated by old weathered stone fences. It was truly beautiful, idyllic.

Now all you need is brown bread! Dublin Coddle is Irish comfort food at its best. It is probably one of those dishes that came about as a way to use leftovers. Europeans are known for their frugality. There is really no set recipe per se. Case in point, I like to add carrots to my recipe because I happen to love these orange tubers, I can't get enough of them! Because it is slow cooked Dublin Coddle is a perfect candidate for the crock-pot.

Step by step photos

Gather your ingredients and have them measured, chopped and ready to go. There is a special way to clean leeks so see my instructions on how to clean leeks.
In a large skillet cook the bacon chunks on medium heat until almost crispy. Pat them dry and discard the grease.
Cut the sausages into 2 inch pieces and cook in a soup pot or large braiser on medium heat until golden brown on the edges. I love my Le Creuset braiser pan for this recipe.
Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is just translucent then add the bacon pieces.
Stir in the potatoes, carrots, leeks, bay leaves, thyme, allspice and stock. Sprinkle with black pepper.
Combine all the ingredients then cover and cook on low for 45 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can I save the Dublin coddle? Once it has completely cooled, you can store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Can I freeze the Dublin coddle? No, since this dish contains whole pieces of potato they will get very mushy once thawed.
What kind of potatoes do I use in this recipe? The best potatoes to use are a waxy type, small red potatoes work well. Waxy potatoes hold up well in stews where you want whole pieces of potatoes. Mealy potatoes like russets are best to purée in potato soups that are smooth.
I have never chopped a leak, how do I do it? Leeks are grown in sandy soil and will have some sand particles that will need rinsed off between the layers. Cut the root end off of the leek and then cut off the leafy green part above. You will be left with a round stock that is white on one end and bright green on the other. Lay this flat on your cutting board and slice in half lengthwise down the middle. Hold the half-circle piece under running water and rinse the sand particles between layers. Once they are clean chop them into 1 inch pieces.

Dublin Coddle has been popular in the Irish capital since about the 17th century. It also appears in two of Joyce's literary works: Dubliners and the famous Finnegan's Wake.

This recipe was adapted from The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook

If you are looking for more Irish recipes to make for Saint Patrick’s Day or anytime at home here are a few of my favorites to try. Irish butter cookies are favorite melt in your mouth shortbread cookie recipe that does call for Irish butter, no substitutes. If you want to make a hearty meal for your family then you have to try Guinness beef stew. Serve this heart dish with Irish soda bread or a sweeter version, Irish brown bread.