How to make Dublin Coddle

There's nothing like a warm bowl of Dublin Coddle, a traditional Irish stew, a cold winter evening.

What is it?

A slow-cooked dish of sausage, bacon and potato, coddle is a one-pot wonder far greater than the sum of its parts. On a cold winter night, it’s comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients

285g (10oz) good-quality pork sausages
200g (7oz) dry-cured bacon
2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tbsp chopped parsley salt and pepper
¾ cup stock
8 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
Bread (preferably Irish soda), to serve

A Dublin Coddle, as seen from above. The stew is served in a round bowl on a tabletop and contains sausage, potato and carrot and is garnished with parsley. — The dish is said to be a favourite of author Jonathan Swift of 'Gulliver's Travels' fame © AS Food studio / Shutterstock

How to cook

Step 1: Lightly grill the sausages and bacon until slightly coloured.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Step 3: Arrange the onions and carrots in the bottom of a large oven-proof dish.
Step 4: Scatter with half the parsley, season with salt and pepper and add the stock.
Step 5: Arrange the sausages on top of the vegetables, then the potatoes and bacon in layers above them.
Step 6: Scatter with more parsley and season.
Step 7: Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
Step 8: Remove the lid and return to the over for another 30 minutes.
Step 9: Serve with crumbly Irish soda bread to soak up the juices.

A colourful scene of crowds of people outside The Temple Bar in Dublin. Some walk along the streets while others gather to take photos. — One spoonful of Dublin Coddle will instantly transport you to the colourful streets of the Irish capital © Popa Ioana Mirela / Shutterstock

Tasting notes

A bowl of coddle feels like a warm embrace on a cold winter’s evening when the drizzle has left you soaked through and the heat of the fire just can’t take the chill away. It’s the kind of dish that tastes best after ages spent gently simmering on a cast-iron range, clothes airing on slats above the cooker, a kettle simmering and a cat curled up on an armchair.

Although it’s a very forgiving dish that can be left for hours on end with little more than a splash of extra water to nourish it, a good coddle depends largely on the quality of the meat – so don’t scrimp when buying your ingredients.

For more great recipes check out our book The World's Best Bowl Foods.

This article was originally published on March 17, 2020 and updated in January 2021.