Even when summer's here, we have days when it's cool enough to lean into good comfort food dishes or we're just craving them so much we simply crank up the air conditioning. This week, we're looking at three such oven baked, pressure cooked, or sauce supreme dishes that leave our mouths watering. We continue our journey today with an Irish Lamb Stew, made quickly and easily in your electric pressure cooker, in my case an Instant Pot.
This dreamy stew happens in about an hour, with most of that being pressure-cooking and natural release time. The rest involves a quick sear of the lamb, some sautéing of the vegetables, and reducing dark beer to give this stew added depth. And because you make it in the Instant Pot, you aren't turning to your stove or oven! Some folks aren't fans of mushrooms and if that's you, feel free to skip them or add an equivalent amount of lamb or beef back into the recipe in the first step. I like the extra umami that adding mushrooms brings to my bowl of stew. If your stew feels a little thin, feel free to thicken it with a simple cornstarch slurry just before serving. I find I do this about half the time, so the stirring and tasting steps are pretty important here.
I served my stew with slices of jalapeno-cheddar chop bread for sopping up the juices. If all stews were this easy, quick, and let my kitchen stay cool, I'd be having stews and curries year round whenever the craving hits. Oh, wait. I do. Enjoy this one!
Instant Pot Irish Lamb Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. lamb stew meat chunks, cubed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups carrots, chopped into quarters
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 oz. dark beer
- 28 oz. beef broth
- 1 lb. red potatoes, quartered
- 2 cups baby Bella mushrooms, quartered or halved (depending on the size)
- 2 teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons of cold water (cornstarch slurry) - optional
Heat the oil in the pot of your Instant Pot set to the Sauté setting. Cook the lamb meat in hot oil until it is nice and browned. Be sure to season the meat generously with salt and pepper at this point. Transfer the lamb to a plate leaving as much oil and drippings as possible in the pot.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté until light brown and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes Add the carrots and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and add the dark beer. Use a spatula to help pry up any stuck bits in the bottom of the pot. Allow the beer to reduce for about 2 minutes.
Next, add the beef broth and give it a good stir. Then add the lamb, potatoes and mushrooms on top. Don't stir, the potatoes and mushrooms should cook on top of the meat which may not be fully submerged in liquids and that's okay.
Lock the lid on the pot, cancel the Sauté setting, and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook at high pressure for 35 minutes. When the cycle ends, allow the appliance to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
Give the stew a gentle stir, taste and adjust seasonings as needed, and - if desired - add the cornstarch slurry and stir gently again to thicken the stew. Serve hot in bowls.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: About an hour