Weekend Recipe: Dublin Coddle

This old-school derivative of Irish stew layers pork sausage, bacon, onions, potatoes, and stock to “coddle,” or slowly simmer, usually for hours on end, often resulting in a mushy mess. For a more flavorful version of this dish that kept its elements intact, Cook's Country crisps the bacon and browns the sausages, in the rendered bacon fat for more flavor, to create flavorful bits, known as fond, in the pan.

Sweating the onions and adding broth to the pan releases the fond into the coddling liquid. When poured over thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes that are arranged neatly on the bottom of a baking dish, they are gently cooked to a soft, creamy texture. The sausages are layered on top to brown further in the oven. A splash of cider vinegar helps cut the richness of the dish, while crisp bacon provides textural contrast.

Dublin Coddle
Serves 4 to 6

An equal weight of traditional Irish bangers can be substituted for the bratwurst. We prefer to use Farmland Thick Sliced Bacon. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt and pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 pounds bratwurst
2 onions, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Shingle potato slices in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with ½ ­teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.

2. Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crispy, 12 to 14 ­minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.

3. Carefully add sausages to now-empty skillet and cook until lightly browned on tops and bottoms, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate.

4. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add onions, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook until onions are softened, 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits.

5. Add broth and vinegar, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Carefully pour onion mixture over potatoes, spreading onions into even layer.

6. Place sausages, browned side up, on top of onions. Transfer to oven and bake until paring knife inserted into potatoes meets little resistance, about 1 1/4 hours.

7. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and reserved bacon. Serve.

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